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ANNALS  OF  THE 
GENERAL  SOCIETY  OF  MECHANICS  AND  TRADESMAN 
OF  THE  CITY  OF  NEW-YORK. 


I 


ANNALS 

OF  THE 

GENERAL    SOCIETY  OF 
MECHANICS    AND  TRADESMEN 

OF  THE 

CITY     OF  NEW-YORK, 

FROM     1785    TO  l88o. 

EDITED    BY    THOMAS    EARLE    AND    CHARLES    T.  CONGDON. 


NEW-YORK: 
PUBLISHED   BY   ORDER   OF  THE  SOCIETY. 

1882. 


Press  of  Francis  Hart  &  Co.  N.  Y. 


MINUTES  OF  THE  COMMITTEE  OF  PUBLICATION, 


Record  of  the  Proceedings  of  the  Sub-committee  of  Five  from  the  Literary  and  Scientific 
Committee  on  the  Publication  of  the  History  of  the  Society. 

Extracts  from  the  records  of  the  Society,  November  7,  1877. 

John  R.  Voorhis  offered  the  following  resolution,  which  was  adopted: 

Resolved,  That  it  be  referred  to  the  Literary  and  Scientific  Committee,  to  consider  and 
report  upon  the  advisability  of  having  collated  and  prepared,  in  a  suitable  form  for  publication, 
the  History  of  the  Society  from  its  organization  to  the  present  time. 

June  5,  1878,  John  Banta,  Chairman,  presented  a  Report  of  the  Literary  and  Scientific 
Committee,  which  was,  on  motion,  received. 

H.  M.  Smith  offered  the  following  resolution,  which  was  adopted  : 

Resolved,  That  the  report  be  referred  back  to  the  Committee,  with  power  to  employ  the 
Secretary,  or  some  other  person,  to  compile  the  History  of  the  Society  in  manuscript. 

Extract  from  the  record  of  the  Literary  and  Scientific  Committee,  September  16,  1878. 
James  J.  Burnet  offered  the  following,  which  was  adopted : 

That  Thomas  Earle,  Secretary  of  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the 
City  of  New-York,  be  employed  to  collate  the  History  of  the  Society  in  manuscript  form. 

On  September  17,  1880,  Thomas  Earle  notified  the  Committee  that  the  compilation  of  the 
History  of  the  Society  is  ready. 

Extract  from  the  record  of  the  Society,  February  21,  1881. 

Resolved,  That  the  Literary  and  Scientific  Committee  be,  and  they  are  hereby  authorized  to 
proceed  forthwith  to  prepare  for  publication  the  "  History  of  the  Society,"  and  to  publish 
the  same. 

It  was  voted,  on  motion  of  Alfred  C.  Hoe,  that  a  sub-committee,  consisting  of  the  following 
members  of  the  Literary  and  Scientific  Committee,  be  appointed,  to  carry  out  the  instructions 
contained  in  the  resolution  of  the  Society,  viz.  :  Henry  L.  Slote,  David  Jardine,  W.  Otis  Munroe, 
Stephen  D.  Tucker,  and  George  H.  Robinson. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Sub-committee,  held  March  30,  188 1 ,  H.  L.  Slote  was  chosen  Chairman, 
and  G.  H.  Robinson  Secretary. 

A  committee  was  appointed,  April  15,  1881,  to  report  costs  and  methods  of  publication,  and 
to  consider  the  subject  of  engaging  a  proper  person  to  revise  the  MS.  of  the  "History." 

At  a  meeting,  held  May  6,  1881,  a  note  was  received  from  Charles  T.  Congdon,  stating  that 
he  had  made  a  cursory  examination  of  the  MS.,  and  offered  to  undertake  the  collating  of  the 
MS.,  the  necessary  abridgments,  and  the  preparation  of  any  additional  matter  which  might  be 
deemed  necessary. 

On  motion,  it  was  voted  to  engage  Charles  T.  Congdon  to  superintend  the  revisal  and 
publication  of  the  "  History." 

The  revision  and  publication  of  the  work  thus  provided  for  has  now  been  accomplished. 


INTRODUCTION. 


rH  E  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  was  founded 
in  the  early  days  of  the  Republic,  zvhen  the  people — the  Knick- 
erbockers of  Manhattan  Island — were  honest  and  domestic,  industrious 
and  patriotic,  conservative  and  religious.  They  impressed  the  nobility 
of  their  character  upon  the  history  of  their  times,  and  not  least 
among  the  monuments  of  their  virtues  is  the  General  Society. 

When  the  association  zaas  established,  New  -York  was  compara- 
tively a  small  city,  but  it  was  still  a  city  of  great  hopes  and  of 
magnificent  prospects.  Fortunately  situated  between  two  rivers  ;  look- 
ing out  upon  a  beautiful  bay ;  near  the  Atlantic,  ivhilc  protected 
from  the  dangers  of  the  sea  ;  its  harbor  admirable ;  its  commercial 
facilities  unsurpassed ;  its  people  enterprising,  i?itelligent,  and  law- 
abiding,  New -York  was  then  evidently  predestined  to  become  one  of 
the  important  cities  of  the  world,  great  not  merely  in  population  and 
wealth,  in  mercantile  enterprise  and  the  mechanic  arts,  but  in  those 
characteristics  which  commend  thetnselves  specially  to  the  philanthro- 
pist and  the  Christian,  the  friend  of  social  progress  and  of  popular 
elevation. 

The  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  is  justly  proud 
not  only  of  its  origin,  but  its  history.  It  is  naturally  desirous  that 
all  which  it  has  accomplished  should  be  made  a  matter  of  histo7'ic 
record.  Something  of  this  is  due  to  the  memory  of  the  excellent  men 
who  established  the  Society,  or  who  carried  it  through  so  many 
generations  in  usefulness  and  honor.  This  volume  is  their  monument, 
and  it  is  one  of  which  their  descendants  and  representatives  need  not 
be  ashamed. 


i785— i79i- 


EEX-DRACHT  MAAKT  MACHT. 


CHAPTER  I. 


THE    EARLY    DAYS    OF    THE  SOCIETY. 

HE  War  of  the  Revolution  being  over,  and  the  city  of 
New-York  freed  from  the  presence  of  a  hostile  soldiery, 
the  enterprise  of  the  citizens  was  called  to  the.  restoration 
of  much  which  had  been  lost,  and  to  the  renewal  0>f  an  arrested 
industry  and  annihilated  commerce.  The  prospect  was  indeed  far 
from  encouraging.  The  public  treasury  was  empty.  There  was  little 
or  no  employment  for  those  who  were  willing  to  work.  Worse  than 
all,  there  were  many  social  and  popular  dissensions.  The  disagree- 
ments of  the  war  remained  between  Whigs  and  Tories.  The  former 
had  for  several  years  been  shut  out  from  the  town  which  was  their 
home,  while  the  latter  did  not  easily  yield  the  position  to  which 
they  had  become  accustomed.  These  dissensions,  however,  were  not 
of  long  duration.  The  folly  of  regretting  the  royal  government  was 
soon  apparent,  and  equally  evident  was  that  of  still  cherishing  the 
hatreds  and  animosities  of  the  war.  Yet  the  task  of  restoring  the 
prosperity  of  New- York  was  not  a  slight  one ;  and  it  was  during 
the  depressions  and  difficulties  of  that  critical  period  that  the  idea 


8 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


['785 


of  the  Society  suggested  itself  to  the  mechanics  and  tradesmen  of 
the  city.  The  feeling  in  which  the  association  originated  was  that 
the  burthens  of  the  day  could  be  more  easily  borne  by  resource  to 
a  bond  of  friendship,  of  protection,  and  of  mutual  benefit.  The 
question  of  forming  a  society  was  discussed  in  social  circles,  and 
meetings  for  its  particular  consideration  were  held  in  private  houses. 
Of  this  our  Society  was  the  happy  result.  From  the  beginning  it 
has  been  active,  and  mainly  active  for  good.  It  has  enlarged  its 
proportions ;  it  has,  as  years  have  gone  by,  increased  its  material 
resources,  and  among  the  benevolent  bodies  of  the  metropolis  it  has 
held  a  prominent  and  honored  place. 

Some  account  of  the  state  of  the  city  of  New-York  may  here  be 
opportune.  Its  population  consisted  of  23,614  souls.  These  resided 
upon  the  southerly  part  of  the  island.  The  closely  inhabited  district 
did  not  extend  much  above  Partition  street,  on  the  west  side.  The 
occupied  territory  above  Fair  street,  on  the  east,  was  more  extensive. 
Both  these  streets  now  constitute  Fulton  street,  on  either  side  of 
Broadway.  All  the  business  operations  of  the  city  were  conducted  by 
residents.  Brooklyn  was  a  rural  district,  while  Paulus  Hook,  on  the 
New  Jersey  shore,  a  mere  village,  was  more  important  as  the  starting- 
place  for  stage-coaches  to  points  beyond.  Between  the  Hook  and 
the  city,  communication  was  had  by  means  of  a  small  two-masted 
ferry-boat,  called  a  "  periagua,"  now  almost  entirely  gone  out  of  use. 

The  City  Government  of  New- York  went  into  active  operation 
in  December,  1783.  From  this  time  until  September  1st,  1785, 
covering  a  period  of  somewhat  more  than  one  year  and  seven 
months,  the  receipts  and  expenditures  were  as  follows : 


RECEIPTS. 


Cash  from  ,£10,000  tax,  ,£9,341 

Lots  sold,  3.517 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


9 


Cash  from  Quit  Rent  (including  arrears),  ....  ,£4,276 

"       "     Ground  Rent,   3,100 

Docks  and  Slips   868 

«       «     Ferries,                           .    ...    .    .  915 

"       "     House  Rent   410 

,£24,435 

EXPENDITURES. 

For  Poor  House,   ,£5,027 

"    Watch  and  Lamps,   4,500 

"    Roads,   678 

"    Pumps  and  Wells,   789 

"    Jail,  ' .    .    .  702 

"    Election,   57 

"    Assessors,   170 

"    Bridewell  Repairs,  etc.,   3>470 

"    Interest  on  Bonds,   1,844 

"    Public  Buildings — contingent,   7,937 

,£25,174 

Computed  in  Federal  currency,  the  receipts  were  $61,087.50, 
and  the  expenditures  were  $62,935.    It  is  to  be  observed  that  books 


of  account  were  kept  and  calculations  made  in  pro  incial  pounds, 
shillings,  and  pence.  A  pound  was  equal  in  value  to  $2.50  of  the 
present  currency. 

We  may  now  resume  our  particular  history  of  the  Society.  The 
first  meeting  of  the  General  Committee  of  Mechanics,  as  it  was 
called,  was  held  at  the  public-house  of  Walter  Heyer,  on  the  1 7th 
of  November,  1785.  Twenty-two  persons  were  present,  and  Robert 
Boyd  acted  as  chairman.  A  constitution  was  adopted.  It  was 
signed  by  all  present  except  one  Isaac  Mead,  who  desired  time 
for  further  deliberation.  His  name  does  not  again  appear  in  the 
minutes,  and  it  is  probable  that  he  did  not  again  attend. 

The  several  trades  sent  delegates  which  composed  the  general 
committee.  Each  trade  had  a  separate  organization,  which  was  con- 
sidered a  branch  of  the  committee. 


IO  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [1785 

An  initiation  fee  of  sixteen  shillings  was  paid  by  the  members, 
and  a  monthly  sum  thereafter.  A  book  for  recording  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  committee  was  ordered,  with  a  chest  for  the 
safe  keeping  of  the  funds.  This  first  meeting  then  adjourned  for 
one  week. 

At  the  next  meeting  of  the  committee,  the  printing  of  three 
hundred  copies  of  the  constitution  and  by-laws  was  ordered.  Of 
this  pamphlet,  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  not  a  single  copy  is  known  to 
be  extant,  and  we  are  left  to  glean  such  features  as  are  recognizable 
from  the  minutes  of  the  committee.  The  first  annual  meeting  of 
the  Society  was  held  on  the  2d  of  January,  1 786,  when  the  follow- 
ing officers  were  elected : 

Robert  Boyd,  Jr.,  Chairman.  John  Burger,  Deputy  Chairman. 
Hugh  Walsh,  Treasurer.         James  Bingham,  Secretary. 

The  following  curious  resolution  was  adopted : 

"Resolved,  That  forever  hereafter,  on  the  annual  meeting  of  the 
Society,  no  person  be  permitted  to  smoke  the  tobacco-pipe  during 
the  time  of  business." 

This  resolution,  it  may  be  noted,  is  still  in  force,  and  no  smoking 
is  permitted  at  the  anniversary  meetings. 

The  following  persons  were  returned  by  their  respective  branches 
as  representatives  in  the  general  committee  for  the  year : 

Henry  Bicker  and  Garret  De  Bow,  for  the  hatters ;  John  Camp- 
bell, potters ;  Anthony  Post  and  James  Brown,  carpenters ;  Dennis 
McReady,  tobacconists;  Jacob  Arden  and  Michael  Verrian,  butchers; 
John  McComb,   ;  Abram  Russell,  masons  ;  Hugh  Walsh,  tal- 
low chandlers  ;  Christopher  Duyckinck,  sail-makers  ;  Robert  Manley, 
coach-makers;  Peter  Hulick,  stay-makers;  Joseph  Judwin,  coopers; 
Edward  Meeks  and  Robert  Boyd,  blacksmiths ;  Isaiah  Wool,  stone- 
cutters ;    John    Burger,    silversmiths;    Thomas  Ivers,  rope-makers; 


1791]  MECHANICS     AND     TRADESMEN.  II 

Andrew  Otterson,  tailors  ;.  Willjam  Smith,  Jr.,  block-makers;  John 
Bailey,  cutlers  ;  Nicholas  Anthony,  tanners  ;  William  J.  Ellesworth, 
pewterers  and  plumbers ;  Henry  Wolf,  comb-makers ;  Robert  Hodge, 
book-binders ;  George  Taylor,  ship  joiners ;  Samuel  Atlee,  brewers ; 
Oliver  Mildeberger,  skinners ;  John  Young,  saddlers  ;  John  Ouacken- 
boss,  bolters  ;  Ebenezer  Young,  ship  carpenters  ;  David  Barclay  and 
Leonard  Fisher,  hair-dressers  ;  Abram  P.  Lott  and  Frederic  Stimits, 
bakers. 

The  Society  was  now  making  excellent  progress.  Its  members 
were  increasing  in  numbers,  and  it  was  accumulating  some  money ; 
for  at  a  meeting  held  about  this  time,  it  was 

"Resolved,  That  Anthony  Post,  Edward  Meeks,  William  Allen,  and 
Thomas  Ivers  be  a  committee  to  purchase  an  iron  chest  with  three 
locks,  or  one  lock  with  three  keys,  for  depositing  the  funds  of  this 
society,  and  that  the  price  to  be  paid  therefor  shall  not  exceed  the 
sum  of  seven  pounds." 

It  was  also  decided  at  this  meeting  to  loan  the  moneys  of  the 
Society,  and  the  following  resolution  was  adopted  : 

"Resolved,  That  a  sum  not  less  than  one  hundred  pounds  ($250) 
may  at  any  time  be  put  to  interest  for  the  benefit  of  the  Society, 
the  members  thereof  having  preference  on  giving  threefold  security, 
the  said  security  to  be  of  real  estate  in  the  city  and  county  of 
New-York." 

This  resolution  was  carefully  adhered  to.  The  moneys  constantly 
received  into  the  treasury  from  initiation  fees  and  monthly  dues  were 
thus  safely  invested,  while  the  members  to  whom  the  loans  were 
made  felt  that  they  had  a  good  and  trustworthy  credit. 

At  a  meeting  held  August  2d,  1786,  a  committee  was  appointed 
to  wait  on  Mr.  Godwin,  and  to  engage  him  to  engrave  a  plate  for 
a  certificate-  of  membership,  the  design  and  price  having  been 
previously  agreed  upon.    A  fac-simile  of  the  plate  furnished  is  the 


12  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [178; 

frontispiece  to  this  volume.  At  a  ^neeting  in  December,  1 786,  a 
device  for  a  seal  was  adopted,  viz. :  "  An  aged  woman,  with  a  pair 
of  scales  in  one  hand,  and  a  nest  of  young  swallows  in  the  other, 
fed  by  the  old  one."  This  was  ordered  to  be  engraved,  and  a  fac- 
simile of  it  will  be  found  upon  the  title-page  of  this  volume.  At  a 
meeting  soon  after,  Abram  Godwin's  bill  for  engraving  the  certificate 
and  seal,  amounting  to  £23  143-.  Zd.  ($59.33),  was  ordered  to  be  paid. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Society  held  January  2d,  1787,  the 
following  officers  were  elected : 

John  Campbell,  Chairman.  John  Young,  Treasurer. 

Anthony  Post,  Dep.  Chairman.    John  McComb,  Jr.,  Secretary. 

We  find  that  in  1787  the  attention  of  the  Society  was  particu- 
larly directed  to  the  subject  of  protection  to  American  industry.  At 
a  meeting  held  February  7th  of  that  year,  a  committee  was 
appointed  to  inquire  what  additional  duty  could  be  properly  added 
upon  those  articles  then  dutiable  by  an  act  of  the  Legislature  of  the 
State  of  New-York,  and  what  other  articles  would,  for  the  encour- 
agement of  manufacturers,  consistently  bear  a  duty.  At  the  next 
meeting,  the  committee  reported  a  draft  of  a  petition  to  the  Legisla- 
ture on  the  subject,  which  was  ordered  to  be  presented.  A  corre- 
spondence was  had  with  the  Manufacturers'  Society  of  New- York, 
and  also  with  similar  associations  in  other  States,  for  the  purpose  of 
united  effort  to  further  a  system  of  encouragement  to  the  manufact- 
uring and  mechanical  interests  of  the  country,  in  the  enactment  of 
such  duties  as  would  restrain  the  importation  of  articles  made  in  the 
United  States. 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  the  circular  of  the  Associated 
Mechanics  of  Boston:  "We  petitioned  the  Legislature  of  Massachu- 
setts, praying  that  duties  might  be  laid  on  the  several  articles 
enumerated  in  our  petition.    Our  Legislature  complied  in  a  great 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


13 


measure,  by  enacting  laws  for  the  encouragement  of  industry  and 
for  the  promoting  of  our  manufactures."  The  letter  was  referred  to 
a  committee  of  our  Society,  to  meet  a  like  committee  of  the 
Manufacturers'  Society  of  New-York.  The  joint  committee  were 
instructed  to  draft  an  answer.  From  this  the  following  is  extracted: 
"  Every  zealous  and  enlightened  friend  to  the  prosperity  of  this 
country  must  view  with  peculiar  regret  the  impediments  with  which 
foreign  importations  have  embarrassed  the  infant  arts  in  America. 
We  are  sensible  that  they  are  not  only  highly  unfavorable  to  every 
mechanical  improvement,  but  that  they  nourish  a  spirit  of  depend- 
ence which  tends  in  some  degree  to  defeat  the  purpose  of  our  late 
revolution  and  tarnish  the  lustre  of  our  character.  We  are  sensible 
that  long  habit  has  fixed  in  the  mind  of  the  people  an  unjust  pre- 
dilection for  foreign  productions,  and  has  rendered  them  too  regard- 
less of  the  arguments  and  complaints  with  which  the  patriotic  and 
discerning  have  addressed  them  from  every  quarter.  These  preju- 
dices have  become  confirmed  and  radical,  and  we  are  convinced  that 
a  strong  and  united  effort  is  necessary  to  expel  them.  The  Legisla- 
ture of  our  State,  convinced  of  the  propriety  of  cherishing  our 
manufactures  in  their  early  growth,  has  made  some  provisions  for 
that  purpose,  and  we  have  no  doubt  but  more  comprehensive  and 
decisive  measures  will  in  time  be  taken.  But  on  the  exertions  of 
our  brethren,  and  especially  upon  the  patronage  and  protection  of 
the  General  Government,  we  rest  our  most  flattering  hopes  of 
success.  When  our  views  like  our  interests  are  combined  and  con- 
centrated, our  petitions  to  the  Federal  Legislature  will  assume  the 
tone  and  complexion  of  the  public  wishes,  and  will  have  a  propor- 
tionate weight  and  influence." 

These  documents  are  interesting,  as  showing  how  early  in  the 
history  of  the  country  began  these  discussions  of  tariff  and  free  trade, 
protection  and  revenue,  which  are  still  agitated,  without  much  prospect 
of  a  permanent  settlement. 


14  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [1785 

At  a  meeting  in  December,  1787,  it  was  resolved:  "That  as  part 
of  the  money  belonging  to  the  Society  is  in  specie,  the  Treasurer  be 
instructed  to  exchange  the  same  for  paper  currency  for  the  benefit  of 
the  Society" — an  operation  which  we  have  seen  often  repeated  in  our 
own  day. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Society  held  January  1,  1788,  the 
following  members  were  elected  officers  : 

John  Campbell,  Chairman.  Anthony  Post,  Deputy  Chairman. 
John  Young,  Treasurer.         John  McComb,  Jr.,  Secretary. 

Delegates  from  the  different  branches  were  received,  and  their 
names  recorded. 

At  the  meeting  held  December  3,  1 788,  resolutions  were  received 
from  the  Manufacturing  Society,  proposing  a  committee,  one-half  of 
which  should  be  from  each  society,  with  such  powers  as  might  be  found 
necessary  for  establishing  friendly  relations  between  the  two  societies, 
as  manufacturers  and  mechanics  of  the  same  community.  This  prop- 
osition met  with  an  immediate  and  friendly  response.  This,  probably, 
was  the  beginning  of  a  still  closer  union  when  the  charter  was  obtained, 
under  which  the  Manufacturing  Society  gave  up  its  distinctive  organ- 
ization, and  many  of  its  members  joined  the  Society  of  Mechanics 
and  Tradesmen. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  6,  1789,  the  following  mem- 
bers were  elected  officers  for  the  ensuing  year: 

Anthony  Post,  Chairman.  James  Bramble,  Dep.  Chairman. 

Wm.  J.  Elsworth,  Treasurer.     John  McComb,  Jr.,  Secretary. 

After  the  election,  the  members  dined  together,  and  during  the 
convivialities  the  following  characteristic  toasts  and  sentiments  were 
enthusiastically  received : 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


15 


First.  The  United  States  of  America. 

Second.  His  Excellency,  George  Washington. 

Third.  His  Excellency,  George  Clinton. 

Fourth.  The  land  we  live  in  :  may  it  ever  be  free ! 

Fifth.  May  our  efforts  to  do  good  be  crowned  with  success. 

Sixth.  May  we  breakfast  with  health,  dine  with  friendship,  drink  a  bottle  with 
mirth,  and  sup  with  contentment. 

Seventh.  May  agriculture  and  manufactures  receive  support  and  encouragement 
under  the  Federal  Government. 

Eighth.  Disgrace  to  the  man  who  owes  his  greatness  to  his  country's  ruin ! 

Ninth.  A  cobweb  pair  of  breeches,  a  porcupine  saddle,  and  a  hard  trotting-horse 
to  all  the  enemies  of  freedom! 

Tenth.  May  the  mechanics  of  the  United  States  discover  ingenuity  in  their  profes- 
sion and  honor  in  their  dealings! 

Eleventh.  Trade  and  navigation ! 

Ttvelfth.  May  we  live  and  our  enemies  know  it ! 

This  festival  proved  so  pleasant,  that  at  each  return  of  the 
anniversary  it  was  repeated,  thus  cementing  the  bonds  of  friendship 
which  bound  the  members  together. 

At  the  meeting  in  March,  1789,  the  Society  resolved  hereafter 
as  a  society  to  take  no  part  in  elections. 

From  this  it  is  apparent  that  previously  the  Society  had  taken 
an  active  part  in  elections.  This  will  not  seem  so  strange,  if  we 
remember  that  the  Government  was  yet  in  its  infancy ;  that  it  was 
regarded  by  many  as  an  experiment,  and  rather  a  hopeless  one ; 
that  it  was  so  regarded  by  the  world  at  large ;  and  that  the  patri- 
otic interest  which  it  excited  was  thus  made  intense  and  personal, 
and  soared  far  above  mere  considerations  of  party. 

At  a  meeting  held  November  4th,  1 789,  the  following  petition  to 
the  Legislature  was  agreed  upon : 

"  To  the  honorable,  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of  New- York,  in 
Senate  and  Assembly  convened,  the  petition  of  the  Society  of  the 
Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  and  County  of  New-York  most 
respectfully  showeth : 


l6  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [1785 

"That  your  petitioners,  actuated  by  the  purest  motives,  did,  soon 
after  the  close  of  the  late  war,  associate  and  form  themselves  into  a 
society  composed  of  members  from  the  different  descriptions  of  trades- 
men within  this  city. 

"That,  for  the  sake  of  order  and  regularity,  certain  resolutions 
have  been  adopted  by  which  the  Society  is  now  governed. 

"That  the  grand  Objects  that  your  petitioners  have  in  view  in 
thus  associating  are  to  promote  and  establish  the  trade  and  manu- 
factures of  their  country,  and  which,  at  the  present  clay,  in  some  of 
their  sister  States,  meet  with  protection  and  encouragement  from 
their  first  class  of  citizens. 

"To  raise  a  fund  by  subscription  within  themselves  for  the  re- 
lief of  such  of  their  fellow-citizens  who  may,  through  the  various 
vicissitudes  of  fortune,  claim  a  share  of  their  munificence  to  rescue, 
from  the  cold  hand  of  poverty  and  distress,  the  mourning  widow 
and  helpless  orphan. 

"  These  are  the  principles  which  have  induced  the  mechanics  and 
tradesmen  of  this  city  to  enter  into  an  association.  And  although 
their  zeal  and  anxiety  to  carry  their  laudable  designs  into  execution 
may  have  operated  in  a  small  degree  to  their  wishes,  jet  your 
petitioners  find  their  exertions  inadequate  to  accomplish  the  under- 
taking unless  they  have  the  favorable  interposition  of  the  honorable, 
the  Legislature,  to  enable  them  by  law,  as  an  incorporated  body,  to 
operate  with  energy  and  vigor  in  the  management  of  such  moneys 
or  other  property  as  may  from  time  to  time  come  into  their  hands. 

"  Your  petitioners,  themselves  confiding  in  the  patriotism,  benev- 
olence, and  justice  of  those  they  have  now  the  honor  to  address, 
do  most  humbly  pray  that  they  may  be  permitted  to  lay  before 
your  honorable  body  the  resolutions  by  which  they,  as  a  society, 
are  at  present  governed,  and  that  leave  may  be  granted  your 
petitioners  to  bring  in  a  bill  for  the  purpose  of  constituting  them 
a  body  corporate  and  politic,  subject  to  such  regulations  and  re- 


MECHANICS      AND  TRADESMEN 


17 


strictions  as  you  in  your  great  wisdom  shall  think  meet.  And  your 
petitioners,  as  in  duty  bound,  will  ever  pray." 

It  has  been  thought  desirable  here  to  reproduce  this  petition, 
because  it  succinctly  shows  the  purpose  for  which  the  Society  was 
organized.  We  find,  however,  that  it  was  not  presented  at  the 
next  session  of  the  Legislature,  and  it  may  have  been  somewhat 
modified  before  it  was  forwarded. 

Correspondence  with  affiliated  societies  was,  during  this  year, 
continued.  The  absorbing  topic  v/as  protection  to  American  indus- 
try, and  the  necessity  of  united  effort  in  petitioning  Congress  to 
lay  a  tariff  of  duties  upon  such  articles  as  were  manufactured  in 
the  country.  We  find  specially  that  there  was  correspondence  with 
the  mechanics  and  manufacturers  of  Baltimore,  Md.,  and  Provi- 
dence, R.  I.  From  one  petition,  the  following  is  extracted:  "It  is 
to  the  Supreme  Legislature  of  the  United  States,  as  guardians  of 
the  whole  country,  that  every  eye  is  directed.  From  their  united 
wisdom,  their  patriotism,  their  ardent  love  of  country,  your  peti- 
tioners expect  to  derive  that  capital,  aid,  and  assistance  which  alone 
can  dissipate  their  just  apprehensions,  and  animate  them  with  hope 
of  success  in  the  future,  by  imposing  on  all  foreign  articles  which 
can  be  made  in  America  such  duties  as  will  give  a  decided  pref- 
erence to  their  labors,  and  thereby  discontinue  the  trade  which  tends 
so  materially  to  injure  them  and  impoverish  their  country." 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Society  held  January  5th,  1  790,  the 
following-named  persons  were  elected  officers  for  the  ensuing  year  : 

John  Stagg,  Chairman.  James  Tyler,  2d  Deputy. 

Nicholas  N.  Anthony,  1st  Deputy.  Wm.  J.  Elsworth,  Treas. 
John  McComb,  Jr.,  Secretary. 

The  Overseers  of  the  Indigent  were  then  appointed,  according  to 
the  by-laws.  After  the  transaction  of  other  business,  the  Society 
partook  of  the  anniversary  dinner. 


i8 


GENERAL  SOCIETY 


[I78S-I79I 


At  the  meeting  held  April  8th,  1 790,  it  was  voted  that  the 
Society  become  an  adventurer  in  the  State  Lottery. 

Mr.  Gilbert,  with  the  treasurer  and  secretary,  was  directed  to 
purchase  thirteen  tickets  for  the  Society,  and  to  give  its  note  for 
the  amount.  It  was  reported  at  a  subsequent  meeting  that  five  of 
the  tickets  held  by  the  Society  were  prizes  of  four  pounds  each,  and 
that  he  had  received  seventeen  pounds,  there  being  a  deduction  of 
fifteen  per  cent.,  according  to  the  rules  of  the  lottery.  All  the 
tickets  cost  twenty-six  pounds.  There  was  therefore  a  loss  to  the 
Society  of  nine  pounds  (twenty-two  dollars  and  fifty  cents),  and  it 
does  not  appear  that  it  was  ever  again  induced  to  try  the  experi- 
ment of  winning  large  gains  from  very  small  investments. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  4th,  1 79 1,  the  following- 
named  members  were  elected  officers  for  the  ensuing  year : 

Jotham  Post,  Chairman.  Francis  Ciiilds,  2d  Deputy. 

James  Tyler,  ist  Deputy.         William  J.  Elsworth,  Treas. 
John  McComb,  Jr.,  Secretary. 

The  Society  partook  of  the  usual  anniversary  dinner,  which  was 
given  at  Aaron  Aorson's  tavern,  at  the  corner  of  Nassau  and  George 
(now  Spruce)  streets. 

At  a  meeting  held  January  5th,  1 79 1 ,  a  committee  was  appointed 
to  prepare  and  to  report  a  by-law  to  prevent  litigation  among  the 
members  of  the  Society.  A  report  was  subsequently  made,  but, 
though  much  discussed,  there  seems  to  have  been  no  definite  action 
upon  it.  Two  years  after,  however,  a  by-law  was  enacted  upon  the 
subject,  but  it  does  not  appear  upon  the  records.  Still,  the  minutes 
show  an  earnest  desire  on  the  part  of  the  members  to  avoid  law- 
suits among  themselves.  It  was  found  difficult,  probably,  to  frame 
an  enactment  which  would  have  a  practical  force. 


CHAPTER  II. 


INCORPORATION  OF  THE  SOCIETY. 


T  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Society  held  January  3d,  1 792, 
the  following-named  members  were  elected  officers  for  the 
ensuing  year : 

Robert  Boyd,  President.  Daniel  Hitchcock,  2d  Vice-Pres. 

Anthony  Post,  1st  Vice-Pres.       Thomas  Lefoy,  Treasurer. 

John  Elsworth,  Secretary. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  titles  of  these  officers  had  been 
changed  since  the  election  of  1 79 1.  The  titles  then  were  chairman, 
first  and  second  deputy  chairmen.  The  change  was  made  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1 79 1,  when  the  subject  of  applying  for  a  charter  was  before 
the  Society. 

It  was  resolved,  at  a  meeting  held  soon  after,  that  each  member 
of  the  Society,  on  calling  for  liquor  in  this  house,  pay  for  the  same 
upon  receiving  it,  and  a  committee  was  appointed,  consisting  of 
John  Campbell  and  James  Tyler,  to  inform  the  landlady  of  the 
passage  of  this  resolution. 


22  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [1792 

At  a  meeting  held  February  15th,  1792,  it  was  resolved  that  the 
twelfth  article  of  the  by-laws  be  put  into  execution.  This  required 
the  president,  treasurer,  and  secretary  to  give  bonds,  with  sureties 
in  the  sum  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  equal  to  $625,  for  the 
faithful  discharge  of  their  duties,  and  for  a  just  accounting  for 
moneys  of  the  Society  in  their  hands. 

Previous  to  March,  1792,  the  initiation  fee  was  one  pound 
($2.50);  from  that  time  it  was  one  pound  eight  shillings  ($3.50). 
Four  shillings  of  the  fee  in  each  case  entitled  the  brother  to  a 
certificate  of  membership. 

In  the  year  1 791  the  Society  appears  to  have  increased  in  popu- 
larity. The  number  of  members  was  large,  and  continued  to  increase 
during  the  year  1792,  the  Society  becoming  more  and  more  efficient 
in  its  operations,  as  it  has  up  to  the  present  time.  The  application 
to  the  Legislature  was  successful.  The  Society  was  constituted  a  body 
corporate,  according  to  the  provisions  of  the  following  charter : 

An  Act  to  Incorporate  the  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of 
New-York,  for  Charitable  Purposes.    Passed  the  i^tli  of  March,  1792. 

WHEREAS  Robert  Boyd  and  others,  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen,  of  the  City 
of  New- York,  associated  as  a  Society,  under  the  style  of  "The  Genera/  Society 
of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New-  York,"  for  the  laudable  purposes 
of  protecting  and  supporting  such  of  their  brethren  as  by  sickness  or  accident 
may  stand  in  need  of  assistance,  and  for  the  relief  of  the  widows  and  orphans  of 
those  who  may  die,  leaving  little  or  no  property  for  their  support,  by  their  petition, 
presented  to  the  Legislature,  have  prayed  to  be  incorporated,  to  enable  them 
more  beneficiently  to  carry  into  effect  their  charitable  intentions :  Therefore, 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  People  of  the  State  of  New-  York,  represented  in  Senate 
and  Assembly,  That  the  said  Robert  Boyd,  together  with  Nicholas  N.  Anthony, 
Thomas  Allen,  William  Allen,  Jacob  Arden,  Francis  Ardcn,  John  Amory, 
Allard  Anthony,  Jacob  I.  Arden,  Thomas  Ash,  Elbert  Anderson,  Jacob  Arnold, 
John  Burger,  John  Burger,  Jr.,  William  Bryar,  Michael  Brooks,  Abraham  Blood- 
good,  Francis  Bassett,  David  Barclay,  Walter  Bicker,  Gardner  Baker,  James 
Brown,  James  Bramble,  John  P.  Bessonett,  John  Browcr,  Thomas  Brewen,  James 


i8oo] 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


23 


Byrne,  John  Brown,  Peter  Bertine,  John  Bingham,  James  D.  Bissett,  Thomas 
Brown,  John  Banks,  Isaac  Boyea,  Caleb  Boyle,  John  Campbell,  Joseph  Cheese- 
man,  John  Commendener,  John  Cole,  Peter  Cole,  Richard  Cunningham,  Samuel 
Campbell,  Francis  Childs,  William  Croleys,  William  Carman,  John  Clitz,  Sea- 
bury  Champlain,  John  Croleus,  Isaac  Coulthard,  James  Culbertson,  Richard 
Davis,  John  De  la  Montayne,  Walter  Degraw,  James  Van  Dyck,  John  Van 
Dyck,  William  I.  Elsworth,  John  Elsworth,  Jacob  Fisler,  Gabriel  Furman,  Jacob 
Fee,  William  Forde,  George  Gosman,  William  W.  Gilbert,  John  Goodeve,  John 
Gilmore,  Robert  Gosman,  Alexander  Gibson,  Caleb  Haviland,  Thomas  Hazard, 
Robert  Hodge,  Peter  Hulick,  Hercules  Heron,  William  Hopson,  Daniel  Hitch- 
cock, Jabez  Halsey,  Jacob  Hallett,  Aaron  Howell,  Obadiah  Helmes,  Thomas 
Ivers,  Joseph  Jadwin,  Seth  Kneelen,  George  Lindsey,  Robert  Lilburn,  Thomas 
Le  Foy,  John  Moore,  John  M'Comb,  Sr.,  Dennis  M'Cready,  John  Mills,  Malcolm 
M'Ewen,  George  Meserve,  William  Meserve,  William  Mooney,  White  Matlack, 
William  Mooney,  Peter  R.  Maverick,  David  Mann,  Andrew  Morris,  James 
Moore,  John  M'Baine,  Robert  M'Dowell,  John  Ming,  Isaac  Moore,  Peter 
M'Cartey,  John  M'Comb,  Jr.,  Joseph  Newton,  Isaac  Nicoll,  John  Norman, 
Anthony  Ogilvie,  Andrew  Otterson,  Anthony  Post,  Abraham  Polhemus,  Jotham 
Post,  John  Perrian,  Edward  Patten,  George  Pake,  George  Peck,  Alexander  Pea- 
cock, William  Phillips,  William  Parker,  Abraham  Russell,  James  Robinson, 
Frederick  Resler,  Thomas  Ross,  John  Ross,  Abraham  Riker,  John  I.  Richie, 
Daniel  Ruckel,  John  Stagg,  Thomas  Stevenson,  John  Sidell,  Daniel  Stansbury, 
John  Striker,  Gerardus  Smith,  Frederick  Stymets,  Stephen  Smith,  Anthony 
Simmons,  Jacob  Sherred,  George  Seal,  George  Speth,  Henry  Snyder,  William 
Stymets,  Peter  Shackerly,  Cornelius  Sebring,  Andrew  Thompsor,  James  Tylee, 
James  Teller,  Ahasuerus  Turk,  Thomas  Timpson,  Daniel  Tooker,  John  Utt, 
John  Wylley,  Henry  Will,  Edward  Watkeys,  Hugh  Walsh,  William  Wright, 
George  Warner,  Henry  Wolf,  James  Warner,  Nathaniel  Woodward,  Benjamin 
Williamson,  John  Wood,  John  Wright,  Andrew  Wright,  and  John  Young,  and 
all  persons  being  Mechanics  or  Tradesmen,  and  resident  within  the  City  and 
County  of  New- York,  who  hereafter  shall  be  members  of  the  said  Society,  shall 
be,  and  hereby  are  ordained,  constituted  and  declared  to  be  one  body  corporate 
and  politic,  in  fact  and  in  name,  by  the  name  of  "  The  General  Society  of 
Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New-  York,"  until  the  first  Monday  of 
April,  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  twelve  ;  and  that  by  that  name  they 
and  their  successors,  for  the  term  aforesaid,  shall  and  may  have  succession,  and 
shall  be  persons  in  law,  capable  of  suing  and  being  sued,  pleading  and  being 
impleaded,  answering  and  being  answered  unto,  defending  and  being  defended, 
in  all  courts  and  places  whatsoever,  in  all  manner  of  action  and  actions,  suits, 


24  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [1792 

complaints,  matters,  and  causes  whatsoever;  and  that  they  and  their  successors 
may  have  a  common  seal,  and  may  change  and  alter  the  same  at  their  pleasure. 
And  also,  that  they  and  their  successors,  by  the  name  of  "  The  General  Society 
of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New-  York"  shall  be,  in  law,  capable 
of  purchasing,  holding,  and  conveying  any  estate,  real  or  personal,  for  the  public 
use  of  the  said  corporation. 

Provided,  That  the  lands,  tenements,  and  hereditaments  which  it  shall  be 
lawful  for  the  said  corporation  to  hold,  shall  be  only  such  as  shall  be  requisite  for 
the  purpose  of  erecting  a  house  or  hall  thereon,  in  which  to  meet  and  to  transact 
the  business  of  the  said  corporation,  or  such  as  shall  have  been  bona  fide  mort- 
gaged to  it  by  way  of  security,  or  conveyed  to  it  in  satisfaction  of  debts 
previously  contracted  in  the  course  of  its  business,  or  purchased  at  sales  on 
judgments  which  shall  have  been  obtained  for  such  debts. 

And  provided,  also,  That  the  amount  of  the  real  and  personal  estate,  which 
the  said  corporation  are  hereby  enabled  to  hold,  shall  not  at  any  one  time  exceed 
the  sum  of  fifty  thousand  dollars. 

And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  the  officers  of  the  said  corporation  shall  be  a 
President,  Vice-President,  and  a  Second  Vice-President,  a  Treasurer  and  Secre- 
tary, who  shall  hold  their  offices  for  one  year,  and  shall  be  citizens  of  this  State, 
and  be  elected  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  January  in  every  year,  at  such  time  of  the 
day,  and  at  such  place  in  the  city  of  New-York,  as  shall  be  fixed  and  ascertained 
by  the  by-laws  of  the  said  corporation.  That  all  elections  of  the  said  officers,  or 
any  of  them,  shall  be  by  ballot,  and  such  person  who  shall  have,  at  any  election, 
the  greatest  number  of  votes  given  at  such  election  as  President,  shall  be  the 
President ;  and  in  like  manner  the  person  who  shall  have  the  greatest  number  of 
votes  as  Vice-President,  shall  be  Vice-President;  and  in  like  manner  the  person 
who  shall  have  the  greatest  number  of  votes  for  Second  Vice-President,  shall  be 
Second  Vice-President;  and  in  like  manner  the  person  who  shall  have  the 
greatest  number  of  votes  as  Treasurer,  shall  be  Treasurer ;  and  in  like  manner 
the  person  who  shall  have  the  greatest  number  of  votes  as  Secretary,  shall  be 
Secretary.  And  the  said  officers  shall  hold  their  respective  offices  for  one  year, 
and  until  others  shall  be  chosen  in  their  places.  That  if  any  vacancy  shall  hap- 
pen among  the  said  officers  by  death,  resignation,  or  removal,  such  vacancies 
shall  be  filled,  for  the  remainder  of  the  year  in  which  they  may  happen,  by  a 
special  election  for  that  purpose,  to  be  held  in  the  same  manner  as  the  annual 
elections  arc  made,  at  such  times  and  places  as  shall  be  provided  for  and  deter- 
mined by  the  by-laws  of  the  said  corporation.  That  Robert  Boyd  shall  be  the 
first  President  of  the  said  corporation,  Anthony  Post,  Vice-President  thereof, 
Daniel  Hitchcock,  Second  Vice-President  thereof,  Thomas  Le  Foy,  the  Treas- 


i8oo] 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


25 


urer  thereof,  and  John  Elsworth,  the  Secretary  thereof ;  who  shall  hold  their 
offices  respectively  until  the  first  Tuesday  i'n  January  next,  and  until  others  shall 
be  chosen  in  their  places. 

And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  in  case  it  should  at  any  time  happen  that  an 
election  of  officers  should  not  be  made  on  any  day  when,  pursuant  to  this  act,  it 
ought  to  have  been  made,  the  said  corporation  shall  not,  for  that  cause,  be 
deemed  to  be  dissolved,  but  it  shall  and  may  be  lawful  on  any  other  day  to  hold 
and  make  an  election  of  officers,  in  such  manner  as  shall  have  been  regulated  by 
the  laws  and  ordinances  of  the  said  corporation. 

And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  all  elections  and  all  meetings  of  the  said 
corporation  shall  be  made  and  held  in  a  place  certain,  to  be  fixed  and  determined 
by  the  by-laws  of  the  said  corporation ;  and  that  at  all  such  elections  and  meet- 
ings of  the  said  corporation,  so  to  be  held  as  aforesaid,  twenty-five  members 
thereof,  including  the  President,  or  in  his  absence  the  Vice-President,  or  in  his 
absence  the  Second  Vice-President,  shall  be  considered  as  a  quorum  of  the 
said  corporation,  and  shall  have  full  power  to  do  and  transact  all  the  busi- 
ness thereof. 

And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  the  said  corporation,  and  their  successors, 
shall  have  full  power  to  make  and  prescribe  such  by-laws,  rules,  ordinances,  and 
regulations  as  to  them  from  time  to  time  shall  appear  needful  and  proper, 
touching  the  management  and  disposition  of  their  stock,  property,  estate,  and 
effects  for  the  purposes  aforesaid  ;  and  touching  the  meetings  of  the  said  Society, 
both  special  and  ordinary,  except  the  first  Tuesday  in  January  in  every  year, 
which  is  hereby  declared  to  be  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Society ;  and  touching 
the  duties  and  conduct  of  the  officers  of  the  said  corporation  ;  and  touching  the 
election  of  officers,  and  all  such  other  purposes  as  appertain  to  the  business,  ends, 
and  purposes  for  which  the  said  corporation  is  by  this  act  instituted,  and  for  no 
other  purposes  whatsoever. 

Provided,  That  such  by-laws,  rules,  and  regulations  be  not  repugnant  to 
the  Constitution  or  the  laws  of  the  United  States  or  of  this  State. 

And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  all  persons,  being  Mechanics  or  Tradesmen, 
and  resident  within  the  City  and  County  of  New- York,  desiring  to  become  mem- 
bers of  the  said  corporation,  shall  be  proposed  by  at  least  two  members,  one 
meeting  previous  to  his  or  their  election,  which  shall  be  by  ballot,  and  determined 
by  two-thirds  of  the  members  present  at  such  election  ;  that  then  he  or  they  so 
elected,  on  paying  into  the  hands  of  the  Treasurer  such  sum  as  the  corporation 
by  their  by-laws  shall  direct,  provided  the  same  shall  not  exceed  the  sum  of  ten 
dollars,  shall  have  his  or  their  names  inserted  in  the  general  register,  and  shall  be 
entitled  to  all  the  privileges  and  benefits  arising  therefrom. 


26 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


[1792 


And  to  the  end  that  the  funds  of  the  said  corporation  may  never  be 
diverted  to  any  other  than  the  charitable  purposes  for  which  the  institution 
has  been  expressly  made  and  created : 

Be  it  further  enacted,  That  the  said  corporation  shall,  within  twenty 
days  after  the  passing  of  this  act,  exhibit  to  the  Chancellor  of  this  State  a 
full  and  particular  account  of  all  the  estate,  real  and  personal,  then  vested  in 
the  said  corporation,  attested  by  the  oath  of  the  Treasurer  thereof,  that  the 
same  is  a  true  and  perfect  account.  And  shall  also,  in  every  year  there- 
after, during  the  continuance  of  this  act,  and  between  the  first  and  last  days 
of  May  in  each  year,  exhibit  to  the  Chancellor  for  the  time  being  a  like 
account,  together  with  a  particular  and  detailed  account  of  all  moneys  by 
the  said  corporation  expended  in  the  preceding  year,  specifying  the  several 
purposes  to  which  it  has  been  applied.  And  if  it  shall  appear  to  the  said 
Chancellor  that  any  moneys,  except  for  the  necessary  repairs  of  any  buildings 
which  may  belong  to  the  said  corporation,  or  for  the  payment  of  the  Treas- 
urer or  Secretary  thereof,  or  for  other  charges  expressly  incidental  to  the 
management  of  the  funds  thereof,  have  been  applied  by  the  said  corporation 
to  any  use  other  than  for  the  support  of  indigent  members  of  the  said  cor- 
poration, or  the  widows  or  children  of  any  person  having  been  a  member 
thereof,  he  shall  direct  the  Attorney-General  of  the  State  for  the  time  being, 
ex  officio,  to  file  an  information  against  the  said  corporation  in  the  Supreme 
Court  of  this  State  ;  and  if,  upon  the  traverse,  the  said  corporation  shall  be  found 
guilty,  and  judgment  shall  pass  thereupon,  that  thenceforth  the  said  corporation 
shall  cease  and  become  null  and  void,  and  the  estate,  real  and  personal,  which  it 
may  then  possess,  shall  vest  in  the  people  of  this  State. 

And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  this  act  be,  and  hereby  is  declared  to  be,  a 
public  act ;  and  that  the  same  is  construed  in  all  courts  and  places,  benignly 
and  favorably,  for  every  beneficial  purpose  therein  intended. 

The  preceding  act  is  a  true  copy  of  the  original,  examined  and  compared 
therewith,  this  2jd  day  of  March,  1792, 

By  me, 

ROBERT  HARPUR,  Deputy  Secretary. 

This  excellent  charter  had  a  beneficial  influence  upon  the  pros- 
perity of  the  Society.  The  large  accessions  to  the  membership  have 
already  been  noticed.  The  number  belonging  to  the  Society  January 
1st,  1792,  was  184.  During  the  year  there  were  229  initiations. 
This  brought  the  number  of  members  up  to  413.  Congratulations 


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MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


27 


were  received  from  various  similar  societies  in  different  States  of 
the  Union.  As  a  specimen  of  these',  and  of  the  replies  which  they 
received,  the  following  may  be  given  : 

Providence,  June  20th,  1792. 

Gentlemen  :  The  Providence  Association  of  Mechanics  and  Manufact- 
urers beg  leave  to  congratulate  you  on  the  happy  issue  of  your  spirited 
exertions  to  cement  the  mechanic  interest. 

Be  assured  that  it  gave  us  the  most  sincere  pleasure  to  see  in  the  public 
newspapers  that  another  pillar  was  erected  under  the  sanction  of  authority  to 
the  support  of  the  mechanic  arts. 

We  cannot  but  hope  that  the  firm  resolution  and  steady  perseverance  which 
have  marked  your  conduct  will  be  imitated  by  all  the  brethren  in  the  United 
States,  although  at  present  we  regret  the  backwardness  of  many  of  them,  for 
certainly  the  utility  of  incorporated  bodies  of  mechanics  must  present  itself  to 
every  thinking  mind. 

We  desire  to  maintain  a  friendly  correspondence  with  you,  and  to  receive 
every  necessary  information  respecting  the  mechanic  interest. 
With  respect  and  esteem, 

Your  friends  and  brethren. 

(Signed,  by  order  of  the  Association), 

Gershom  Jones,  Vice-President. 

To  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  ) 
Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New-York.  ) 

This  letter  was  received  with  much  satisfaction,  and  answered  as 
follows : 

New- York,  Oct.  29th,  1792. 

GENTLEMEN  :  It  was  with  much  pleasure  we  received  a  letter  from  you, 
dated  20th  of  June,  and,  although  dated  so  long  ago,  we  can  assure  you  that 
we  did  not  receive  it  until  October  8th.  We  suppose  the  delay  to  have  been 
owing  to  inattention  at  the  post-office. 

We  thank  you  for  your  kind  congratulations  on  our  exertions  to  cement  the 
mechanic  interest,  and  we  feel  ourselves  indebted  to  our  Legislature  for  their 
patronage  in  granting  us  a  charter  which,  although  given  only  for  charitable  pur- 
poses, yet  will,  we  doubt  not,  have  the  happy  effect  of  uniting  us  as  brethren  in 
one  common  interest,  and  promote  the  mechanic  arts. 


28 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


[ 1 79- 


Be  assured,  gentlemen,  that  nothing  shall  be  wanting  on  our  part  to  render 
the  mechanic  interest  respectable  and  worthy  of  imitation  by  all  our  brethren  in 
the  United  States,  although  we  regret,  with  you,  the  backwardness  of  the  Rulers 
in  other  States,  in  granting  charters  to  associations  of  mechanics  who  have  an 
undoubted  right  to  the  privilege. 

We  have  the  pleasure  to  forward  with  this  letter  a  pamphlet  containing  a 
copy  of  our  charter,  by-laws,  rules  of  order,  and  a  catalogue  of  names  of  the 
members  of  our  Society,  and  beg  you  to  accept  the  same. 

We  should  be  happy  to  maintain  a  friendly  correspondence,  and  whatever 
information  can  be  given  respecting  the  interest  of  mechanics  in  general  we  shall, 
with  pleasure,  impart,  and  expect  the  same  in  return. 

We  are,  gentlemen,  with  perfect  esteem  and  regard, 

Your  friends  and  brethren. 

(Signed  in  behalf  of  the  Society),  ROBERT  BOYD,  President. 

The  Providence  Association  of  Mechanics  and  Manufacturers. 

At  a  meeting  held  November  ist,  1792,  it  was  resolved  to 
appoint  a  committee  to  consider  and  report  a  plan  for  building  a 
hall,  and  to  devise  ways  and  means  for  defraying  the  expenses  of 
such  an  erection.  This  project  was  agitated  for  years,  and  resulted 
in  the  purchase  of  the  lot  of  land  at  the  corner  of  Broadway  and 
Robinson  street  (now  Park  Place),  and  the  building  thereon  of 
Mechanics'  Hall.  This  was  long  the  home  of  the  Society.  When 
the  land  became  too  valuable  to  be  used  by  the  Society,  another 
location  was  procured,  and  the  increase  derived  from  the  old  estate 
still  affords  abundant  means  of  usefulness  and  benevolence. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  ist,  1793,  the  following 
members  were  elected  officers  for  the  ensuing  year : 

Anthony  Post,  President.  Peter  Cole,  2d  Vice-President. 

Daniel  Hitchcock,  Vice-Pres.    Richard  Furman,  Treasurer. 
John  Elsworth,  Secretary. 

The  Society  then  went  in  procession  to  Cardin's  tavern,  to  par- 
take of  the  anniversary  dinner. 


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MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


29 


At  a  meeting  held  January  9th,  1 793,  the  Society  took  into  con- 
sideration a  letter  signed  "  W.  S.  Livingston,"  wishing  its  political 
cooperation.  A  committee  was  appointed  to  inform  all  citizens  of 
New- York  concerned  that  it  was  repugnant  to  the  objects  of  the 
Society  to  have  anything  to  do  with  the  public  elections. 

At  a  meeting  held  February  20th,  1793,  the  finance  of  the 
Society  being  under  consideration,  the  following  plan  was  adopted 
for  raising  and  sinking  a  sum  of  money  to  be  used  in  purchasing 
land  and  erecting  a  hall  thereon  : 

"Resolved,  That  this  Society  will  receive  on  loan  a  sum  of  money 
not  exceeding  ,£3,000,  and  will  pay  for  the  same  annually  interest 
at  the  rate  of  6  per  cent,  per  annum,  and  also  10  per  cent,  of  the 
principal  at  the  end  of  every  year  until  the  whole  sum  be  settled. 

"Resolved,  That  each  subscriber  shall  pay  into  the  hands  of  such 
person  as  may  be  authorized  to  receive  the  same  the  sum  by  him  sub- 
scribed within  thirty  days  after  being  so  required ;  and  the  President, 
with  such  other  person  or  persons  as  the  Society  may  appoint,  shall 
issue  his  or  their  notes  in  the  name  of  the  Society  for  the  sum  received. 

"Resolved,  That  the  proposed  loan  be  open  to  members  of  this 
Society  only,  for  the  space  of  thirty  days,  and  that  no  subscription 
be  received  for  a  sum  less  than  forty  shillings  ($5.00). 

"Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  five  be  appointed  to  receive  sub- 
scriptions, and  as  soon  as  the  sum  required  shall  be  subscribed  they 
shall  report  the  same  to  the  Society,  which  shall  thereupon  proceed 
to  elect  a  board  of  commissioners  and  a  treasurer,  to  receive  the 
money  and  issue  the  notes,  which  shall  be  printed  on  good  paper 
and  bound  in  a  book  ;  and  also  to  purchase  the  land  and  contract 
for  the  erection  of  the  building." 

The  following  members  were  appointed  to  constitute  said  com- 
mittee:  Gabriel  Furman,  Anthony  Post,  Jacob  Sherred,  Daniel  Hitch- 
cock, Jotham  Post. 


30  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [I792 

The  initiation  fee  was  raised  to  two  pounds  ($5.00).  This  change 
was  to  take  effect  on  and  after  March  1st,  1793. 

At  the  meeting  held  April  19th,  1793,  a  committee  was  appointed 
to  inquire  for  suitable  land  upon  which  to  erect  a  hall.  This  appears 
to  have  been  an  anticipation  of  the  action  of  the  Society,  under  the 
resolutions  adopted  February  20th.  At  the  meeting  held  May  1st,  1793, 
the  committee  reported  that  they  had  been  offered  a  certain  lot  in 
the  Fifth  ward,  belonging  to  the  Widow  Bancker,  at  the  price  of 
^750.  The  purchase  of  this  was  recommended,  and  the  report 
having  been  accepted,  the  same  committee  was  instructed  to  con- 
summate the  purchase  by  the  Society.  But  this  action  appears  to 
have  been  taken  without  due  consideration,  and  the  records  of  further 
proceedings  show  that  the  plan  was  not  carried  out. 

The  Society,  each  year,  observed  two  anniversaries.  The  annual 
meeting  has  already  been  noticed.  The  Fourth  of  July  was  also 
kept  as  a  festival  by  the  members.  We  have  the  following  record 
of  the  proceedings  July  4th,  1  793  : 

"  The  Declaration  of  Independence  was  read,  after  which  a  pro- 
cession was  formed,  which  proceeded  to  the  old  Presbyterian  Church, 
where  a  sermon  well  adapted  to  the  occasion  was  delivered  by  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Miller ;  when  the  Society  dispersed,  and  again  met  at  six 
o'clock  p.  m.  at  the  house  of  Mrs.  Amory,  which  was  illuminated  for 
the  occasion.  Deputations  were  received  from  Tammany  Society, 
the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati,  officers  of  the  militia,  and  merchants 
of  this  city  —  a  happy  gathering  congratulating  each  other  on  the 
return  of  the  auspicious  day.  The  evening  was  spent  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  the  entertainment  and  social  intercourse  which  ever  char- 
acterize this  Society." 

At  the  meeting  held  on  August  7th,  1 793,  a  committee  was 
appointed  to  view  the  ground  and  building  belonging  to  the  Society, 
to  promote  the  subscription  list,  and  to  forward  the  building  of  a 


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MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


31 


hall.  At  the  next  meeting,  the  bond  and  mortgage  given  by  the 
Society  on  the  premises  purchased  of  Mrs.  Bancker  were  presented 
and  duly  executed.  The  land  cost  ^750  ($1,875),  °f  which  ^400 
had  already  been  paid. 

At  the  meeting  held  November  6th,  1 793,  a  communication  was 
received  from  the  committee  appointed  by  the  citizens  of  New-York 
to  prevent  the  bringing  in  and  spread  of  infectious  diseases  in  the 
city.  The  opinion  of  the  Society  was  asked  as  to  the  propriety  of 
renewing  general  intercourse  with  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  where 
the  yellow  fever  had  been  raging.  An  opinion  unfavorable  to  such 
renewal  at  present  was  given,  and  confidence  was  expressed  in  the 
discretion  of  the  citizens'  committee. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  1st,  1794,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  : 

John  Stagg,  President.  John  Campbell,  2d  Vice-President. 

James  Tyler,  Vice-President.   William  J.  Elsworth,  Treas. 
John  Elsworth,  Secretary. 

After  the  officers  had  been  installed,  the  Society  went  in  pro- 
cession to  the  Tontine  Coffee  House,  where,  with  the  usual  festivity, 
the  members  dined  together. 

On  the  7th  of  May,  1 794,  a  committee  was  appointed  to  confer 
with  the  Commissioners  of  Fortifications,  to  ascertain  when  it  would 
be  most  desirable  for  the  Society  to  assist  at  the  public  works  on 
Governor's  Island  ;  and  arrangements  were  subsequently  made  for 
carrying  out  that  patriotic  purpose. 

The  anniversary  of  American  independence  was  celebrated,  as 
usual,  this  year.  Regular  meetings  of  the  Society  were  held,  for 
the  transaction  of  necessary  business. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  6th,  1 795,  the  following 
officers  were  elected : 


32 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


[1792 


Gabriel  Firman,  President.  Daniel  Hitchcock,  2d  Vice-Pres. 

Jacob  Sherred,  Vice-President.     William  J.  Elsworth,  Treas. 

Gardiner  Baker,  Secretary. 

In  the  year  1795,  the  American  ensign,  as  it  is  called  in  the 
minutes,  and  as  it  is  still  exhibited  by  the  Society  on  all  public 
occasions,  was  adopted.  At  the  meeting  held  July  1st,  1795,  it  was 
voted  that  this  flag  be  displayed  at  sunrise.  At  eight  o'clock  a.  m., 
the  Society  met  to  listen  to  the  reading  of  the  Declaration  of  Inde- 
pendence. The  members  then  proceeded  to  join  the  general  pro- 
cession of  the  citizens.  At  five  o'clock  p.  m.,  the  Society  met  again 
to  receive  the  congratulations  of  its  sister  societies,  and  of  the  citi- 
zens. Each  member  contributed  two  shillings  to  defray  the  expenses 
of  the  day.  Regular  toasts  of  the  usual  character  were  given  at  the 
dinner.  Among  these,  the  following  may  be  selected,  Franklin  hav- 
ing died  April  17th,  1790. 

"  The  memory  of  our  late  brother  mechanic,  Benjamin  Franklin  : 
May  his  bright  example  convince  mankind  that  in  this  land  of 
freedom  and  equality,  talents,  joined  to  frugality  and  virtue,  may 
justly  aspire  to  the  first  offices  of  government." 

The  procession  formed  upon  the  Battery  at  nine  o'clock  a.  m., 
and  moved  in  the  following  order : 

First.  The  Legion. 

Second.  The  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen. 
Third.  The  Tammany  Society. 
Fourth.  The  Democratic  Society. 
Fifth.  The  Militia  Officers. 

The  route  of  the  procession  was  through  Beaver,  Broad,  Pearl, 
and  Beekman  streets  to  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Here  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence  was  read  by  Edward  Livingston,  Esq.,  and  a 
sermon  preached  by  the   Rev.  Mr.   Miller.    A  suitable  ode  was 


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MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


33 


sung,  and  a  collection  taken  up  for  the  benefit  of  the  charity  school 
connected  with  the  church.  Afterward  the  procession  marched  down 
Broadway  to  the  Battery,  where  a  feu  de  joie  closed  the  ceremonies 
of  the  occasion. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  8th,  1796,  the  following- 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 

Jacob  Sherred,  President.       John  Stagg,  2d  Vice-Presidejit. 
James  Tyler,  Vice-President.    William  J.  Elsworth,  Treasurer. 
Gardiner  Baker,  Secretary. 

The  anniversary  festival  was  held  at  the  Tontine  Coffee  House. 
The  committee  on  the  treasurer's  accounts  stated  that  the  assets 
of  the  Society  were  as  follows : 

£     s.  d. 

Land  which  cost  750  00  00 

Amount  loaned,  500  00  00 

Cash  on  hand,  213     3  10 

1,463     3  10 

In  Federal  currency,  this  amounted  to  $3,657.98. 
At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  3d,  1797,  the  following  officers 
were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year: 

Seabury  Champlin,  President.   Cornelius  Crygier,  2d  Vice-Pres. 
James  Stewart,  Vice-President.  William  J.  Elsworth,  Treasurer. 
Gardiner  Baker,  Secretary. 

There  was  the  usual  dinner  at  the  Tontine  Coffee  House.  The 
treasurer  reported  the  assets  of  the  Society  as  follows : 


£  *.  d. 

Land  which  cost  750  00  00 

Amount  on  loan,  with  security,  850  00  00 

Cash  on  hand,  132  14  9 


i.732   H  9 


34 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


In  Federal  currency,  this  amounted  to  $4,331.84. 
The  celebration  of  the  Fourth  of  July  was  participated  in  by  the 
Society  as  usual. 

At  the  meeting  held  September  6th,  1797,  a  committee  was 
authorized  to  sell  the  lot  of  land  belonging  to  the  Society  for  a 
sum  not  less  than  ,£1,200,  but  at  a  meeting  held  in  November  the 
committee  reported  that  a  sale  had  been  effected  to  Josiah  Freeman, 
for  the  sum  of  ,£1,415.  There  is  no  record  of  the  motives  of  the 
Society  for  selling  this  land,  which  had  been  bought  for  building 
purposes.  The  action  was,  however,  deliberately  considered.  It  was 
sold  for  more  than  original  cost,  with  accrued  interest  and  taxes,  so 
it  had  proved  a  profitable  investment,  though  there  may  have  been 
some  mistake  made  in  originally  purchasing  it. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Society  held  January  2d,  1798,  the 
following  officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 

James  Tyler,  President.  Cornelius  Crygier,  2d  Vice-Pres. 

Thomas  Timpson,  Vice-Pres.      John  Stryker,  Treasurer. 
William  Whitehead,  Secretary. 

The  members  dined  at  Hunter's  Hotel. 

At  the  meeting  held  in  March,  the  committee  to  examine  the 
accounts  of  the  treasurer  presented  the  report,  by  which  the  assets 
of  the  Society  were  as  follows : 

Amount  on  loan,  1,250  00  00 

Amount  on  land  sold,  1,061    5  00 

Amount  in  the  treasury,  108  18  8 

2,420     3  8 

In  Federal  currency,  this  amounts  to  $6,050.46. 

At  the  meeting  held  April  4th,  1 798,  a  code  of  by-laws  and  rules 
of  order  was  adopted,  the  subject  having  been  discussed  at  several 
previous  meetings.    ( Vide  Appendix  A.) 


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MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN, 


35 


The  Fourth  of  July  was  this  year  observed  by  the  Society 
according  to  its  custom.  There  seems  this  year  to  have  been  some 
diminution  of  interest  in  the  Society  on  the  part  of  its  members, 
several  meetings  during  the  autumn  finding  themselves  without  a 
quorum. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Society  held  January  ist,  1799,  the 
following  officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 

Peter  H.  Wendover,  President.    Anthony  Brown,  2d  Vice-Prcs. 
Cornelius  Crygier,  Vice-Pres.      John  Stryker,  Treasurer. 
William  Whitehead,  Secretary. 

The  annual  dinner  took  place  at  the  Tontine  Coffee  House. 

A  correspondence  was  held  between  the  Society  and  the  Providence 
Association  of  Mechanics  and  Manufacturers.    (  Vide  Appendix  B.) 

A  source  of  no  little  trouble  to  the  Society  was  the  delinquency 
of  members  in  meeting  their  monthly  payments.  It  was  sometimes 
necessary,  in  consequence  of  this,  to  strike  the  names  of  negligent 
members  from  the  rolls.  The  following,  from  the  minutes  of  the  8th 
of  May,  illustrates  the  difficulty:  "The  treasurer  reported  that  370 
members  were  in  arrears  for  dues  to  the  amount  of  ^241  19^." 
($604.48).  But  a  gratifying  feature  of  the  Society's  operations  was 
the  interest  felt  in  the  wants  of  indigent  members.  The  care  of  them 
was  confided  to  the  overseers  of  the  poor,  as  they  were  called.  In 
adopting  measures  of  benevolence,  the  utmost  harmony  prevailed. 

A  special  meeting  of  the  Society  was  held  December  26th,  1799, 
the  following  call  having  been  addressed  to  the  president  by  several 
members : 

"  Owing  to  the  death  of  our  beloved  fellow-citizen,  Lieutenant- 
General  George  Washington,  we,  the  subscribers,  being  members  of 
the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of 
New-York,  do  deem  it  expedient  and  signify  to  you  as  our  pleasure 


36 


GENERAL  SOCIETY. 


[1792-1800 


that  a  meeting  of  this  Society  be  called  for  Thursday  evening  next, 
at  the  usual  time  and  place,  to  devise  proper  measures  to  be  taken 
upon  this  melancholy  occasion." 

At  the  meeting,  the  president  announced  that  the  public  author- 
ities were  making-  arrangements  for  a  funeral  procession.  A  com- 
mittee was  appointed  to  make  necessary  provision  for  the  partici- 
pation of  the  Society  in  the  ceremonies.  It  was  directed  that  the 
chairs  of  the  president  and  vice-president  "be  hung  with  black 
cloth,  with  love  ribbon  hung  around  the  branches,  and  that  the 
painting  above  the  president's  chair  be  festooned  with  black  cloth 
tied  with  love  ribbon  ;  that  the  colors  be  hoisted  half-mast  at  sun- 
rise ;  that  each  member  wear  black  crape  around  his  left  arm  on 
the  day  of  the  procession  ;  and  that  the  standard  be  draped  in 
mourning." 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Society  held  January  1st,  1800, 
the  following  officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 

Daniel  Hitchcock,  President.     John  Slidell,  Jr.,  2d  Vice-Pres. 
Cornelius  Crygier,  Vice-Pres.    John  Striker,  Treasurer. 
John  Elsworth,  Secretary. 

A  report  upon  the  financial  condition  of  the  Society  gave  the 
assets  at  £2, 'joy  lod.  ($6,767.60).  There  were  members'  dues  un- 
paid to  the  amount  of  ^318  4.S. 

Another  communication  was  received  from  the  Providence  Asso- 
ciation of  Mechanics  and  Manufacturers,  asking  the  cooperation  of 
the  Society  in  a  petition  to  the  legislature  of  the  United  States, 
asking  for  higher  duties  on  many  articles  imported.    But  the  Society 
deemed  it  inexpedient  to  comply  with  this  request. 

The  Fourth  of  July  was,  as  usual,  observed  by  the  Society  this 
year.  The  oration  was  delivered  by  Matthew  L.  Davis,  Esq.,  in 
St.  Paul's  Church. 


III. 

1801  — 1810. 


"^7 


CHAPTER  III. 

PROGRESS  OF  THE  SOCIETY. 

T  the  annual  meeting  held  January  6th,  1801,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year  : 

Jacob  Sherred,  Pres.        Francis  Cooper,  2d  Vice-Pres. 
Abraham  Labagh,  Vice-Pres.        John  Striker,  Treasurer. 
William  Whitehead,  Secretary. 

The  anniversary  dinner  was  marked  by  the  presence  of  many 
prominent  citizens.  Letters  were  read  from  the  Mayor  of  New- 
York,  and  from  the  Hon.  Aaron  Burr. 

According  to  the  report  of  the  treasurer,  the  assets  of  the 
Society  appeared  to  be  ,£2,874  195.  $d.  ($7,187.41).  Interest  due, 
£141  \os.  8^.    Arrears,  ^281  $s. 

From  a  report  of  the  overseers  of  the  poor,  it  appeared  that 
the  names  of  fourteen  widows  and  twenty-seven  children  were  on 
the  pension  list.  When  a  member  needed  assistance,  it  was  repeated 
from  time  to  time,  but  his  name  was  not  placed  upon  the  pension 
list. 


4-0  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [1801 

On  the  7th  of  October,  1801,  the  committee  appointed  to  pro- 
cure a  lot  of  land  recommended  one  upon  the  west  side  of  Broad- 
way, at  the  corner  of  Chambers  street,  owned  by  Mrs.  Henshaw. 
Its  measurement  was  stated  at  twenty-five  feet  front  and  rear,  and 
ninety-two  feet  deep.  The  price  was  ,£1,500.  The  committee  con- 
sidered the  situation  of  this  lot  as  "truly  desirable,  as  the  opposite 
side  of  the  street  will  always  remain  open,  as  there  stand  the  Alms- 
house and  Bridewell.  This,  with  the  height  of  the  ground,  the 
well-known  purity  and  healthfulness  of  the  street,  and  the  location 
upon  a  corner,  must,  during  the  warm  season  of  the  year,  render  it 
comfortable  and  airy."  But  the  Society  did  not  come  to  an 
immediate  decision  upon  the  subject.  The  benevolent  operations  of 
the  Society  occupied  considerable  time  during  the  regular  meetings. 
Great  care  was  taken  of  indigent  members,  and  of  the  widows  and 
orphans  of  deceased  brothers. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  5th,  1802,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year  : 

Abraham  Labagh,  President.      William  P.  Miller,  2d  Vice-Pres. 
Francis  Cooper,  Vice-Pres.       John  Striker,  Treasurer. 
William  Whitehead,  Secretary. 

At  the  meeting  held  May  5th,  1802,  the  matter  of  purchasing  land 
was  again  under  Consideration.  On  this  occasion,  the  lot  recom- 
mended was  at  the  corner  of  Broadway  and  Robinson  street,  owned 
by  Richard  Varick.  The  dimensions  were  twenty-five  feet  on  Broad- 
way and  ninety- nine  feet  on  Robinson  street.  A  committee  was 
appointed  to  obtain  his  terms  from  Mr.  Varick ;  and  at  a  special 
meeting  held  May  12th,  1802,  they  reported  that  they  had  obtained 
the  refusal  of  the  land  until  the  13th  inst.  The  price  asked,  the 
buildings  being  included  in  the  sale,  and  two  hundred  loads  of  lime, 
was  ,£2,600.    The  cost  of  the  lime,  with  screening  and  storage,  would 


i8io] 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


41 


be  about  ,£180.  The  building,  containing  much  "stone  and  useful 
material,  had  been  appraised  at  ,£120,  which  would  reduce  the  price 
of  the  land  to  ,£2,300,  or  $5,750.  Mr.  Varick  proposed  the  pay- 
ment of  ,£600  on  the  delivery  of  the  deed,  with  ,£2,000  to  remain 
on  bond  and  mortgage  at  lawful  interest.  The  committee  were 
strongly  in  favor  of  the  purchase  of  this  lot.  A  resolution  to  that 
effect  was  passed.  At  the  next  meeting,  the  committee  presented 
the  deed,  and  the  bond  and  mortgage  were  executed.  The  follow- 
ing committee  was  appointed  to  take  charge  of  the  erection  of  a 
hall,  and  for  devising  ways  and  means  of  raising  necessary  money 
for  defraying  the  cost  thereof:  Jacob  Sherred,  John  McComb,  Jr., 
Anthony  Steenbach,  Joseph  Newton,  John  Slidell,  Jr.,  George  Gos- 
man,  Matthew  L.  Davis,  Andrew  Morrell,  George  Ireland,  Peter  H. 
Wenover,  Cornelius  Crygier,  George  Knox,  Thomas  Stevenson. 

It  was  resolved  that  the  Society  borrow  the  necessary  amount  for 
building,  the  whole  amount  not  to  exceed  $15,000,  in  sums  of  $10 
each,  and  issue  certificates  therefor  to  be  denominated  loan  shares, 
bearing  interest  at  the  rate  of  six  per  cent,  per  annum. 

At  the  meeting  in  August,  the  committee  reported  that  1,070  of 
the  loan  shares  had  been  disposed  of,  amounting  to  the  sum  of 
$10,700.  The  committee  reported  further,  on  the  4th  of  August, 
1802,  that  they  had,  in  the  name  of  the  Society,  purchased  of 
William  G.  Miller,  for  the  sum  of  $575,  two  feet  of  his  lot,  and 
joining  on  the  north  of  the  land  of  the  Society,  and  had  received 
a  satisfactory  deed  therefor.  The  action  of  the  committee  was 
approved.  This  purchase  turned  out  in  the  end  to  be  an  unadvisa- 
ble  one.  Other  parties  claimed  the  land,  and  after  a  long  and 
expensive  litigation  their  claims  were  allowed.  Afterward  the  invest- 
ment proved  to  be  profitable,  and  a  source  of  income  to  the  Society. 

The  building  committee  presented  several  plans  for  the  pro- 
posed Mechanics'  Hall,  one  of  which  was  adopted.     Brothers  A. 


42 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


[1801 


Steenbach  and  John  McComb  were  appointed  master  masons  for 
building  the  wall.  The  corner-stone  was  laid  by  the  president  on 
the  2d  of  August,  1802,  with  imposing  ceremonies.  It  bore  the 
following  inscription : 


This  Stone  was  laid 
for  the  HAUL  of  the 
General  Society 

of 

Mechanics  6f  Tradesmen 
of  the  CiXy  of  NwYorK 
onthe2.,,dday  of  Aug? 

In  the  twenty  jevenlK 
Yew?  of 

American  Independence. 


The  building  committee  was  a  very  competent  one.  The  work 
was  vigorously  pressed,  and  Mechanics'  Hall  soon  became  an  orna- 
ment of  the  city,  and  the  pride  of  the  Society. 

On  the  2d  of  December,  1802,  a  form  of  address  was  adopted  to 
be  used  at  the  initiation  of  members.    (Appendix  C.) 

The  annual  meeting  of  the  Society  was  held  at  the  new  Me- 
chanics' Hall,  corner  of  Broadway  and  Robinson  street  (now  Park 


i8io] 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


43 


Place),  on  Tuesday,  January  4th,  1803,  when  the  following  officers 
were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year: 

James  Warner,  President.  John  P.  Roome,  2d  Vice-Pres. 

John  Slidell,  Jr.,  Vice-Pres.       John  Striker,  Treasurer. 
William  Whitehead,  Secretary. 

After  the  adjournment,  the  Society,  two  hundred  in  number,  assem- 
bled in  another  room  and  partook  of  a  sumptuous  entertainment,  ac- 
cording to  established  custom.  The  occasion  was  one  of  much  interest. 
The  new  hall  had  been  completed,  and  its  erection  had  added  greatly  to 
the  interest  felt  by  the  members  in  the  Society.  The  New  - York 
Gazette  and  General  Advertiser  of  January  5th,  1803,  gives  a  list 
of  the  toasts  drank  upon  the  occasion,  as  follows  : 

I.  The  People  :  From  whom,  sooner  or  later,  each  misrepresented  character  obtains 
justice,  and  each  calumniated  honor. 

II.  The  President  of  the  United  States. 

III.  The  Vice-President  of  the  United  States. 

IV.  The  Right  of  Suffrage  :  May  it  be  exercised  by  those  alone  who  are  faithful  to 
the  Constitution. 

V.  Religion  and  Morality :  The  necessary  and  indispensable  props  of  our  freedom. 

VI.  The  Governor  and  State  of  New- York. 

VII.  The  Seventeenth  State:  May  every  addition  to  the  number  be  an  accession  of 
wisdom  and  patriotism. 

VIII.  Mechanic  Hall :  May  it  ever  stand  firm  as  the  principles  on  which  it  is 
founded. 

IX.  Public  Schools :  And  all  those  institutions  established  for  the  mitigation  of  human 
misery. 

X.  May  every  honest  patriot,  beside  an  approving  conscience,  be  blest  with  competency. 

XI.  May  the  asperity  of  party  abate,  and  the  generosity  of  friendship  increase. 

XII.  Departed  Worth :  May  the  memory  of  Washington,  and  his  great  compatriots, 
excite  to  emulation,  while  it  extorts  tears  of  regret. 

XIII.  The  successful  prosecution  of  manufactures,  arts,  and  commerce. 

XIV.  Public  Prisons:  May  the  progress  of  humanity  meet  no  interruption  from  the 
prejudices  of  ignorance,  or  the  cavils  of  ancient  barbarism. 

XV.  Plenty  :  May  it  continue  to  smile  on  the  labors  of  the  American  husbandman. 

XVI.  Peace :  May  our  country  long  continue  to  enjoy  the  beneficial  consequences 
of  her  exemption  from  the  scourge  of  the  human  race. 

XVII.  The  day  we  celebrate. 


44 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  'OF 


[1801 


VOLUNTEERS. 

By  the  President.  —  The  Militia  of  the  United  States:  May  they  always  be  found  suf- 
ficient to  protect  our  liberties,  without  the  assistance  of  a  standing  army. 

By  the  First  Vice-President. — The  Contemplated  Statue  of  Washington:  While  it 
embellishes  our  city,  and  testifies  our  gratitude,  may  posterity  justly  appreciate  those  virtues 
it  is  designed  to  perpetuate. 

By  the  Second  Vice-President. — The  universal  improvement  of  arts  and  sciences. 

By  the  Mayor  of  the  City. — The  Mechanics  of  New-York:  May  industry  and  skill, 
patriotism  and  integrity,  be  their  characteristics. 

After  the  Mayor  had  left  the  table,  the  President  gave :  "  The  Mayor  and  Corporation 
of  the  City  of  New- York." 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  a  letter  received  about  this 
time  from  the  Hon.  Edward  Livingston,  mayor  of  the  city  : 

I  take  the  liberty  of  addressing  your  Society  on  a  very  interesting  subject 
in  which  I  have  thought  their  agency  necessary  to  produce  an  effect  I  am  sure 
they  have  very  much  at  heart,  —  I  mean  the  employment  of  the  poor,  the  dim- 
inution of  distress,  and,  consequently,  of  the  crimes  to  which  it  leads.  The 
Almshouse  of  this  city  affords  a  comfortable  asylum  for  feeble  old  age,  casual 
debility,  and  the  unprotected  state  of  orphan  infancy ;  but  there  is  another  class 
to  whom  it  affords  no  relief,  and  who  would  feel  a  iductance  in  applying  for  it 
if  they  were  certain  of  success.  You  will  readily  perceive  that  I  allude  to  those 
who  are  capable  of  supporting  themselves  by  their  labour,  are  yet  thrown,  by 
particular  circumstances,  out  of  employment,  and  are  thus  forced  either  to  suffer 
the  evils  of  want  or  to  draw  for  relief  on  a  fund  appropriated  only  for  the  help- 
less poor. 

This  class  is  composed,  first,  of  strangers  during  the  first  months  after  their 
arrival ;  second,  of  citizens  who,  from  the  effects  of  sickness  or  other  casualty, 
have  lost  their  usual  employment ;  third,  of  widows  and  orphans  capable  of 
labour ;  fourth,  of  discharged  or  pardoned  convicts  from  the  State's  Prison. 

The  letter  concludes  with  an  elaborate  plan  for  bringing  about 
the  objects  proposed.  It  shows  in  what  high  esteem  the  Society  was 
held  by  the  civic  authorities.  It  declined  to  enter  upon  a  work  not 
in  accordance  with  the  objects  of  the  Society  as  set  forth  in  its 
charter,  while  deeply  sympathizing  in  the  benevolent  propositions 
of  the  Mayor. 


i8io] 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


45 


The  building  committee  reported  -  that,  in  accordance  with  the 
directions  of  the  Society,  they  had  leased  to  Michael  Little  the  new 
Mechanics'  Hall  for  the  term  of  two  years,  at  the  rent  of  $1,500 
per  annum,  payable  quarterly,  with  all  taxes  on  said  property ; 
the  Society  to  be  permitted,  at  all  its  anniversary,  monthly,  and 
Fourth  of  July  meetings,  to  use  the  hall,  he  agreeing  to  warm  and 
light  the  room  ;  Little  giving  a  bond,  with  John  Slidell  as  security, 
for  the  faithful  observance  of  these  conditions. 

The  year  1803  was  one  of  continued  usefulness  and  prosperity. 
Many  mechanics  were  elected  members,  the  meetings  were  well 
attended,  the  benevolent  operations  of  the  association  were  sustained, 
and  its  reputation  in  the  community  was  maintained. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  3d,  1804,  the  following  officers 
were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 

John  Slidell,  Jr.,  President.      William  Whitehead,  Secretary. 
Wm.  G.  Miller,  Vice-Pres.        John  Striker,  Treasurer. 
Augustus  Wright,  2d  Vice-Pres.  Wm.  J.  Waldron,  Collector. 

On  the  7th  of  March,  1804,  tne  building  committee  reported  that 
the  accounts  which  had  been  paid  in  cash  for  building  the  hall 
amounted  to  ,£6,686  io^.  Sd.,  and  the  bills  which  remained  unpaid 
to  ,£2,008  4^./  total,  ,£8,694  lls-  ($2l>736-37)-  The  following  was 
a  statement  of  the  funds  out  of  which  the  accounts  had  been  paid : 


Cash  for  1,384  Completed  Loan  shares, 
"      "       109  Incompleted  " 
"      from  John  Striker,  treasurer, 
"         "    James  Warner,  loan, 
"         "    Alexander  Saunders'  donation, 
"    John  P.  Anthony's 


$13,840 
498 
2,050 
500 
10 

 5^ 

$16,903 


^5  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [^01 

The  sum  of  nearly  $5,000  was  thus  wanting  at  that  time  to 
discharge  the  debts  of  the  Society.  It  seemed  impracticable  to  sell  a 
sufficient  number  of  loan  shares  to  meet  this.  The  building  committee 
had  therefore  recommended  giving  a  mortgage  on  the  hall  and  land. 
It  does  not  appear  that  the  indebtedness  of  the  Society  was  in  round 
numbers  $20,000.  The  balance  in  its  favor  was  about  $9,000,  showing 
a  good  degree  of  financial  prosperity  not  often  secured  in  those  days 
by  benevolent  societies. 

On  the  5th  of  September,  1804,  the  building  committee  presented 
its  final  report  upon  the  erection  of  Mechanics'  Hall,  announcing  that 
after  encountering  various  difficulties  their  labors  were  finished.  The 
total  cost  of  the  building  was  stated  as  follows : 

Total  cost  of  building,  $22,142.38 

PaicT  for  land,    6,500.00 

Paid  Miller  for  land   575-oo 

$29,217.38 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  1st,  1805,  the  following  officers 
were  elected : 

Francis  Cooper,  President.         John  Striker,  Treasurer. 
Augustus  Wright,  Vice-Pres.      James  Hopson,  Secretary. 
John  P.  Anthony,  2d  Vice-Pres.    Wm.  J.  Waldron,  Collector. 

The  financial  condition  of  the  Society,  as  reported  by  a  committee, 
February  6th,  1805,  was  as  follows: 

Cr.  Cash  in  treasury,   $274.00 

Rent  due  February  1st,    375-OQ 

Mechanics'  Hall,  valued  at  30,000.00 

$30,649.00 


^10]  MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 

Dr.     1,442  Shares  of  stock,  at  $10  each,    ....     $14,420  00 
Nine  months' interest,  less  dues,    '.    .    .    .    .  414  90 

Jacob  Sperry's  mortgage,   5,087  .50 

$19,922  40 

Balance  in  favor  of  Society,  $10,726  .60 

At  a  meeting  held  April  3d,  1805,  the  following  amendment  to  the 
by-laws  was  adopted : 

"Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Trades- 
men of  the  City  of  New- York,  that  from  and  after  the  passage  of  this 
act,  all  persons  who  may  apply  to  become  members  of  the  Society 
shall,  upon  initiation,  pay  to  the  treasurer  the  sum  of  eight  dollars 
each. 

"And  be  it  further  ordained,  that  so  much  of  the  by-law  entitled 
'  a  law  to  regulate  the  admission  of  such  persons  as  may  apply  to 
become  members  of  this  Society,'  as  relates  to  the  sum  to  be  paid,  be 
and  is  hereby  repealed." 

The  regular  monthly  payment  of  one  shilling  per  month,  for  each 
member,  was  continued. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  7th,  1806,  the  folio wi  -g  officers 
were  elected: 


Augustus  Wright,  President, 
John  P.  Anthony,  Vice-Pres. 
Stephen  Allen,  2d  Vice-Pres. 


John  Striker,  Treasurer. 
James  Hopson,  Secretary. 
Wm.  J.  Waldron,  Collector. 


The  committee  appointed  to  examine  the  treasurer's  account 
presented  the  following  report : 

Mechanics'  Hall,  valued  at    ......  $30,000.00 

Cash  in  treasury,   823  .39 

$30,823.39 


GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [1801 

Due  on  bond  and  mortgage,   $  5,000.00 

"    Interest  on  mortgage,   116.66 

"    1,405  Loan  shares,   14,050.00 

"    Interest  on  Loan  shares   784-3° 

$19,950.96 

Balance   $10,872.43 


At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  6th,  1807,  the  following  offi- 
cers were  elected : 

William  G.  Miller,  President.        John  Striker,  Treasurer. 
Stephen  Allen,  Vice-Pres.  James  Hopson,  Secretary. 

Andrew  Morrell,  2d  Vice-Pres.      William  J.  Waldron,  Col. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  5th,  1808,  the  following 
officers  were  elected : 

Alexander  Campbell,  President.  John  Striker,  Treasurer. 
Arthur  Smith,  Vice-Pres.  James  Hopsox,  Secretary. 

John  Browx,  2d  Vice-Pres.  William  J.  Waldrox,  Col. 

As  politics  at  this  time  greatly  excited  the  community,  it  may  be 
proper  to  notice  that,  although  the  Federal  party  had  its  head- 
quarters at  Mechanics'  Hall,  the  Society  ignored  politics  altogether, 
having  nothing  to  do  with  this  occupancy,  which  was  under  an 
arrangement  with  the  lessee  of  the  hall. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  3d,  1809,  tne  following  offi- 
cers were  elected  : 

Stephen  Allen,  President.  John  Slidell,  Treasurer. 

George  Ireland,  Vice-Pres.  James  Hopson,  Secretary. 

John  C.  Crvgier,  2d  Vice-Pres.     William  J.  Waldron,  Col. 

The  years  1807,  1808,  and  1809  were  not  marked  by  much 
activity  on  the  part  of  the  Society.    At  the   meetings  a  quorum 


i8io] 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


49 


was  seldom  present.  There  were  few  new  members  admitted. 
The  Fourth  of  July,  which  had  always  been  enthusiastically  cele- 
brated, passed  in  1809  without  notice  on  the  part  of  the  Society; 
at  least,  no  record  can  be  found  of  such  observance. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  2d,  18 10,  the  following  offi- 
cers were  elected : 

George  Ireland,  President.  John  Slidell,  Treasurer. 

Harmanus  Tallman,  Vice-Pres.  James  Hopson,  Secretary. 
John  I.  Labagh,  2d  Vice-Pres.        Philip  Arnold,  Collector. 

A  proposition  was  received  from  the  Humane  Society,  asking 
the  appointment  of  a  committee  on  the  part  of  the  Society  to  meet 
like  committees,  for  the  purpose  of  devising  some  method  of  re- 
ducing the  number  of  taverns  and  grog-shops  in  the  city.  Such  a 
committee,  consisting  of  five  members,  was  appointed. 

At  a  meeting  held  February  7th,  18 10,  the  Society  approved  a 
lease  of  Mechanics'  Hall  to  Mr.  A.  Marcelline,  for  the  term  of  five 
years,  at  the  annual  rent  of  $2,250,  the  tenant  to  pay  the  taxes  and 
keep  the  building  in  repair.  The  Society,  as  before,  reserved  the 
large  room  for  its  own  use  on  the  days  of  its  anniversaries,  and  the 
occasion  of  its  other  regular  meetings. 

At  a  meeting  held  February  21st,  18 10,  the  report  of  the  com- 
mittee appointed  at  a  previous  meeting  to  draft  a  petition  to  the 
Legislature  for  a  bank  charter  was  read  and  accepted.  Afterward 
a  committee  of  seven  members  was  appointed  to  present  the  petition 
and  promote  its  favorable  consideration. 

At  a  meeting  held  March  28th,  1810,.  the  bank  committee  re- 
ported that  the  delegates  to  Albany,  Gabriel  Firman  and  Thomas 
R.  Mercein,  had  returned  with  a  certified  copy  of  an  act  establish- 
ing the  Mechanics'  Bank  in  the  city  of  New-York.  It  was  further 
reported  that  Jacob  Sherred,  John  Slidell,  Francis  Cooper,  John  D. 
Miller,  Anthony  Steenbach,  Naphthali  Judah,  Gabriel  Firman,  Mat- 


50  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [1801 

thew  L.  Davis,  Samuel  St.  John,  George  Warner,  John  R.  Murray, 
Jonathan  Lawrence,  Jr.,  Stephen  Allen,  and  George  Ireland  (president) 
are  the  directors  for  the  ensuing  year ;  that  the  president  of  the 
Society  is  always  to  be,  ex  officio,  a  director ;  that  seven  other  direct- 
ors must  be  chosen  from  members  of  the  Society,  four  of  whom  are 
to  be  men  actually  engaged  in  some  mechanical  profession  ;  and  that 
the  State  may  provide  by  law  for  the  appointment  of  two  other  direct- 
ors, making  the  whole  number  sixteen. 

It  was  further  reported  that  the  Legislature  had  authorized  the 
Society  to  subscribe  for  shares  in  said  bank,  to  the  amount  of 
$150,000,  the  bank  loaning  to  the  Society  the  money  to  pay  in 
their  shares,  if  required,  for  three  years,  at  the  rate  of  five  per  cent, 
per  annum ;  and  that  the  Legislature  shall  have  the  right  to  sub- 
scribe for  stock  to  the  amount  of  $250,000,  upon  the  same  terms  as 
the  Society,  provided  they  shall,  by  law,  appoint  a  person  for  that 
purpose  previous  to  the  first  Tuesday  in  April,  181 1. 

At  a  meeting  held  June  6th,  18 10,  measures  were  taken  to  peti- 
tion the  Legislature  for  a  renewal  of  the  charter  of  the  Society. 

At  the  same  meeting,  the  president  reported  that  he  had  made 
application  to  the  Mechanics'  Bank  for  stock,  and  the  answer  received 
was  as  follows : 

New-York,  June  4th,  1810. 

SlR:  In  reply  to  your  favor  of  the  31st  ultimo,  respecting  the  subscription 
to  the  stock  of  the  Mechanics'  Bank,  for  and  in  behalf  of  the  Mechanics'  Society, 
I  am  directed  to  inform  you  that  six  thousand  shares  of  the  aforesaid  stock  are 
reserved  for  the  Society,  agreeably  to  the  charter.  The  call  lately  made,  of  six 
dollars  and  fifty  cents  on  each  share,  announces  the  intention  of  the  Board  of 
Directors  to  have  the  stock  completed  as  half  shares  by  the  30th  inst. 

You  will  be  in  time  to  carry  into  effect  the  design  and  wishes  of  the  Society 
at  your  next  meeting,  which,  it  is  understood,  will  take  place  early  in  July.  In 
the  interim,  a  bond  for  the  amount,  and  a  power  to  transfer  the  shares  to  the 
company  as  collateral  security  for  the  loan,  can  be  prepared,  they  being  deemed 
prerequisites  to  the  granting  the  evidence  of  the  Society's  interest  and  concern 
in  the  capital  stock  of  the  company.    Your  most  obedient  servant, 

W.  FlSK,  Cashier. 


1810]  MECHANICS     AND     TRADESMEN.  51 

An  extended  correspondence  then  took  place  between  the  direct- 
ors of  the  bank  and  a  committee  of  the  Society.  There  was  no 
question  of  the  right  of  the  Society  to  subscribe  for  $150,000  of  the 
stock,  with  stock  as  collateral  security  ;  but  these  questions  arose : 
"  Shall  the  stock  be  transferred  by  the  Society  to  the  bank?"  "Can 
the  Society  vote  at  elections  on  the  stock  if  so  transferred  ?"  "Can 
it  sell  any  portion  of  the  stock?"  The  difficulty  was  settled  October 
3d,  as  appears  by  the  following  report:  "The  committee  appointed 
to  obtain  the  certificate  of  the  stock  in  the  Mechanics'  Bank,  re- 
ported that,  in  conformity  with  arrangements  made  at  the  last  meet- 
ing, the  committee  have  delivered  the  bond  executed  by  the  Society 
in  favor  of  the  bank,  to  the  board  of  directors,  and  also  made  a 
transfer  of  the  stock  as  collateral  security,  agreeably  to  the  tenor 
of  the  power  of  attorney  executed  by  the  Society  for  that  purpose. 
The  committee  have  received,  in  return,  a  penal  bond,  to  secure  to 
this  Society  the  right  of  voting  for  directors  during  the  continuance 
of  the  transfer  of  the  stock  ;  also,  a  declaration  of  trust,  executed  by 
the  bank,  in  relation  to  the  said  transfer,  and  a  power  of  attorney, 
constituting  this  Society,  or  any  person  who  may  be  from  time  to 
time  legally  authorized  by  the  Society,  the  proxy  to  vote  for  direct- 
ors at  all  elections  held  during  the  time  above  specified,  on  as 
many  shares  as  may  at  any  such  election  belong  to  the  Society. 
All  of  which  obligations  so  executed  by  the  bank  were  prepared 
by  the  counsel  employed  by  the  committee."* 


*  Previous  to  the  charter  of  the  Mechanics' 
Bank,  there  were  four  banks  doing  business  in 
the  city  of  New-York,  viz.,  the  Bank  of  New- 
York,  chartered  in  1791 ;  the  Manhattan  Com- 
pany, chartered  in  1799  ;  the  Merchants'  Bank, 
chartered  in  1805  ;  and  the  United  States 
Branch  Bank,  chartered  in  1791.  It  was  not 
an  easy  matter  to  obtain  a  charter  from  the 
Legislature  of  the  State  for  a  bank,  unless 
some  very  good  and  sufficient  reason  was  given 
for  it.    Hence,  a  charter  for  a  bank  was  es- 


teemed as  a  very  valuable  franchise,  and  its 
stock  always  was  worth  a  premium  from  the 
moment  that  its  books  were  opened.  The 
Manhattan  Company  obtained  its  charter  un- 
der the  plea,  and  with  the  promise,  of  supply- 
ing the  city  with  pure  and  wholesome  water. 
The  Mechanics'  Bank  obtained  its  charter  be- 
cause the  mechanic  interest  was  to  be  bene- 
fited by  it,  and  because  the  petition  for  it  was 
indorsed  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics 
and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New-York. 


52 


GENERAL  SOCIETY 


[1801  - 1810 


The  charter  of  the  Mechanics'  Bank  provided  that  $600,000  of 
the  stock  should  be  offered  to  mechanics  in  the  State  of  New- 
York.  There  appears  to  have  been  a  rumor  that  this  promise  had 
not  been  complied  with,  and  the  Society,  watchful  of  the  interests 
of  the  class  which  it  represented,  appointed  a  committee  to  ascertain 
the  facts.  The  matter  was  more  important,  as  many  of  the  directors 
of  the  bank  were  members  of  the  Society.  Upon  inquiry,  the 
bank  answered  that  the  stock  accounts  had  been  examined ;  that 
$600,000  of  the  stock  had  been  appropriated  to  the  mechanics  and 
tradesmen  of  the  State,  in  accordance  with  the  terms  of  the  charter. 
It  was  also  stated  that  considerably  more  than  half  the  stock  so 
reserved  had  been  taken  by  members  of  the  General  Society  of 
Mechanics  and  Tradesmen. 

A  petition  for  a  renewal  of  the  charter  was  at  this  time  pre- 
sented to  the  Legislature,  setting  forth  the  good  work  already 
done  by  the  Society,  and  stating  the  legal  obligation  which  it  had 
incurred,  thus  rendering  such  renewal  necessary.  The  petition  was 
successful,  and  the  new  charter  secured. 

The  year  18 10  was  a  very  prosperous  one  in  the  annals  of  the 
Society.  There  were,  during  this  period,  two  hundred  and  eighty- 
four  initiations,  bringing  into  the  treasury  $2,270.  This  discharged 
a  considerable  portion  of  the  indebtedness  created  by  building  the 
hall,  and  reduced  the  amount  of  interest. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


EDUCATIONAL  ENTERPRISES. 

T  the  annual  meeting  held  January  ist,  1 8 1 1 ,  the  following 
officers  were  elected : 

John  I.  Labagh,  President.  John  Slidell,  Treasurer. 

Jacob  Lorillard,  Vice-Pres.  James  Hopson,  Secretary. 

Peter  Sharp,  2d  Vice-Pres.  Philip  Arnold,  Collector. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  14th,  181 2,  the  following 
officers  were  elected : 

Jacob  Lorillard,  President.  John  Slidell,  Treasurer. 

Peter  Sharp,  Vice-Pres.  James  Hopson,  Secretary. 

Jonas  Mapes,  2d  Vice-Pres.  John  V.  Waldron,  Collector. 

At  a  meeting  held  April  ist,  181 2,  the  treasurer  reported  that  he 
had  paid  off  655  shares  of  the  Society  loan,  amounting  to  $6,550; 
and  that  the  outstanding  shares  amounted  to  $7,870. 

In  181 2,  the  question  was  seriously  mooted  whether  it  would 
not  be  better  to  sell  a  considerable  portion  of  the  Mechanics'  Bank 
stock  held  by  the  Society.  The  bank  had  been  prosperous ;  the 
premiums  upon  the  stock  had  increased ;   but  war  was  imminent ; 


56  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [1811 

the  business  prospects  were  not  bright ;  the  purchase  money  of  the 
stock  constituted  a  heavy  debt.  If  some  of  the  stock  could  be  sold, 
this  debt  would  be  lightened,  while  the  premium,  which  was  all 
profit,  could  be  realized.  A  committee  to  consider  the  matter  was 
appointed,  with  authority  to  dispose  of  such  portions  of  the  stock 
as  they  might  deem  proper,  provided  the  amount  realized  should 
not  exceed  the  Society's  indebtedness  to  the  bank,  and  also  pro- 
vided that  the  premium  realized  should  not  be  less  than  fifteen  per 
cent.  On  the  6th  of  January,  1813,  the  committee  reported  that  they 
had  sold  five  thousand  shares  at  fifteen  per  cent,  advance  ;  that  they 
had  paid  the  amount  to  the  bank ;  and  that  the  Society  still  owned 
one  thousand  shares,  which  cost  $25,000,  for  which  it  owed  $6,250. 

At  a  meeting  held  January  1st,  18 13,  a  committee  was  appointed, 
consisting  of  Messrs.  Mercein,  Wright,  Hopson,  Slidell.  and  Steen- 
bach,  to  report  to  the  Society  the  number  and  names  of  such 
children  of  deceased  members  as  might  be  proper  objects  of  gra- 
tuitous education,  the  probable  cost  of  tuition  for  each  child,  and 
how  much  of  the  revenue  of  the  Society  could  be,  with  propriety, 
appropriated  for  that  object. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Society  held  January  12th,  18 13, 
the  following  officers  were  elected  : 

Peter  Sharp,  President.  John  Slidell,  Treasurer. 

Jonas  Mapes,  Vice-Pres.  James  Hopson,  Secretary. 

William  H.  Ireland,  2d  Vice-Pres.  John  V.  Waldron,  Collector. 

At  a  meeting  held  June  2d,  1813,  the  committee  appointed  to 
consider  the  subject  of  the  gratuitous  education  of  the  children  of 
deceased  members  reported  substantially  as  follows,  viz.  :  That  the 
income  of  the  Society  might  safely  be  estimated  at  $5,180,  and  its 
expenditures  at  $2, 180.  The  surplus  might  be  annually  appropriated 
to  extinguish  the  debt  of  the  Society,  and  to  establish  a  school  for 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


57 


the  education  of  the  children  of  deceased  and  unfortunate  members. 
Two  methods  had  presented  themselves  to  the  committee.  A 
school-house  might  be  built,  and  a  teacher  hired,  and  the  seminary 
conducted  under  the  supervision  of  a  school  committee ;  or  the 
children  might  be  sent  to  such  schools  as  were  most  convenient, 
their  bills  for  tuition  to  be  paid  by  the  treasurer.  But  it  might  be 
inconvenient  for  the  very  young  pupils  to  attend  the  school  contem- 
plated in  the  first  suggestion  ;  or  some  parents  might  be  unable  to 
spare  the  services  of  their  children  during  the  day,  so  that  they 
would  need  to  attend  a  night-school.  The  committee  say  that  the 
advantages  of  a  special  school  maintained  by  the  Society,  rendered 
it  in  their  estimation  preferable.  Application  was  therefore  made 
to  the  corporation  of  New-York  for  two  lots  of  land  on  which  to 
erect  a  school-house.  Like  favors  had,  in  several  instances,  been 
granted  to  other  benevolent  institutions  for  like  purposes.  It  would 
place  the  contemplated  institution  on  a  more  lasting  foundation,  to 
have  a  house  built  for  the  express  accommodation  of  the  school. 
The  application  was  favorably  received  by  the  corporation  of  the 
city,  which,  on  the  ioth  of  May,  granted  two  lots  on  the  corner  of 
Leonard  and  Elm  streets  to  the  Society,  with  the  p  oviso  that 
whenever  the.  same  should  cease  to  be  occupied  for  a  school,  or  if 
a  school-house  should  not  be  built  within  three  years,  the  ground 
should  revert  to  the  corporation. 

At  the  meeting  held  July  7th,  181 3,  Robert  Provoost  was  chosen 
collector.  He  was  reelected  annually  for  more  than  forty  years, 
and  until  the  day  of  his  death. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  nth,  1814,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  : 

Jonas  Mapes,  President.  John  Slidell,  Treasurer. 

George  Buckmaster,  Vice-Pres.      James  Hopson,  Secretary. 
Thomas  R.  Mercein,  2d  Vice-Pres.   Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 


58  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [1811 

The  new  code  of  by-laws  was  adopted  August  3d,  1814.  (Vide 
Appendix  D.) 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  10th,   181 5,  the  following 

officers  were  elected : 

Abraham  Van  Nest,  President.  John  Slidell,  Treasurer. 
Thomas  R.  Mercein,  Vice-Pres.  James  Hopson,  Secretary. 
Joseph  Smith,  2d  Vice-Pres.  Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  9th,  18 16,  the  following 
officers  were  elected : 

Thomas  C.  Taylor,  President.  John  Slidell,  Treasurer. 
Joseph  Smith,  Vice-Pres.  James  Hopson,  Secretary. 

John  McComb,  Jr.,  2d  Vice-Pres.    Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  14th,  181 7,  the  following 

officers  were  elected : 

Joseph  Smith,  President.  John  Slipell,  Treasurer. 

John  McComb,  Jr.,  Vice-Pres.         James  Hopson,  Secretary. 
George  Buckmaster,  2d  Vice-Pres.  Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  13th,   1818,  the  following 

officers  were  elected : 

John  McComb,  Jr.,  President.  John  Slidell,  Treasurer. 
George  Buckmaster,  Vice-Pres.  James  Hopson,  Secretary. 
Gideon  Lee,  2d  Vice-Pres.  Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  13th,  18 19,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  : 

Peter  H.  Wendover,  President.  John  Seidell,  Treasurer. 
Gideon  Lee,  Vice-Pres.  James  Hopson,  Secretary. 

Elam  Williams,  2d  Vice-Pres.         Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 


1820]  MECHANICS     AND     TRADESMEN.  59 

There  was  still  a  lack  of  interest  in  the  operations  of  the  Soci- 
ety observable  up  to  1819.  The  officers  and  committees,  however, 
attended  to  their  duties,  and  thus  the  useful  existence  of  the  Society 
was  maintained.  In  1820  began  a  new  era  of  prosperity  and  use- 
fulness. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  nth,  1820,  the  following 
officers  were  elected : 

Gideon  Lee,  President.  John  Slidell,  Treasurer. 

Elam  Williams,  Vice-President.       James  Hopson,  Secretary. 
William  Mandeville,  2d  Vice-Pres.  Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 

At  a  meeting  held  March  1st,  1820,  the  committee  having  in 
charge  the  education  of  children  of  indigent  members  presented  a 
report.  Another  committee  was  appointed  to  ascertain  the  names 
and  places  of  residence  of  the  children  of  deceased  and  of  other  mem- 
bers who  might  require  aid  in  securing  education  ;  to  ascertain  upon 
what  terms  for  rent  a  room  sufficiently  spacious  for  the  school  could 
be  secured  ;  and  the  amount  of  salary  which  a  well-qualified  teacher 
would  require. 

It  was  also  resolved  that  a  library  committee  —  consisting  of 
Thomas  R.  Mercein,  Francis  Cooper,  John  Slidell,  Anthony  Steen- 
bach,  John  I.  Labagh,  Elbert  Anderson,  Abraham  Van  Nest,  Jacob 
Lorillard,  and  Abraham  Bloodgood  —  be  appointed.  It  was  empow- 
ered to  take  requisite  measures  to  establish  a  library  for  the  use 
of  apprentices  of  the  mechanics  of  this  city ;  and  the  committee 
was  also  empowered  to  issue  an  appropriate  address  to  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  city,  stating  the  object,  and  soliciting  donations  of 
books.  The  same  committee  was  requested  to  digest  and  report  a 
plan  for  tuition,  during  winter  evenings,  of  the  apprentices  of  me- 
chanics, members  of  the  Society ;  and  to  report  upon  the  feasibility 
of  extending  the  benefit  oi  the  school  to  the  apprentices  of  me- 


60  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [1811 

chanics  generally.  Some  doubt  having  arisen  whether,  under  the 
charter,  funds  of  the  Society  could  be  used  for  a  school,  it  was 
resolved  to  seek  an  amendment  of  the  charter,  authorizing  such  dis- 
position. 

At  a  subsequent  meeting  of  the  Society,  the  committee  on 
education  presented  a  plan  for  the  establishment  and  maintenance 
of  a  school  for  the  children  of  members  of  the  Society.  The  report 
was  accepted,  and  the  committee  directed  to  carry  out  its  sugges- 
tions. Another  plan  for  the  creation  and  maintenance  of  a  library, 
to  furnish  useful  reading  matter  to  the  apprentices  of  the  mechanics 
of  New-York,  was  received  and  adopted.  We  have  only  the  min- 
utes referring  to  the  reports,  and  not  the  reports  themselves,  and 
we  cannot,  therefore,  know  all  the  details  of  the  establishment  of 
the  library  and  school.  The  latter  was  kept  up  until  the  adoption 
of  our  public-school  system.  The  library  has  gone  on  increasing  in 
usefulness,  supplying  books  to  the  working  boys  and  girls  of  New- 
York  ;  and  the  Society  is  well  proud  of  its  well-managed  library 
and  reading-room,  the  shelves  containing  60,000  volumes,  and  the 
tables  being  covered  with  all  the  prominent  periodicals  and  news- 
papers of  the  day.'  On  the  1st  of  November,  1820,  the  library 
committee  reported  that  rooms  had  been  secured  in  the  New-York 
Free  School  building,  in  Chatham  street ;  that  Joseph  C.  Hart  had 
been  appointed  teacher  of  the  school  ;  that  the  school  had  been 
opened  on  the  1st  of  July,  and  contained  over  seventy  scholars; 
that  Mr.  Hart  had  been  appointed  librarian,  and  over  four  thou- 
sand volumes  given  to  the  institution.  The  library  was  to  be  pub- 
licly opened  on  the  25th  of  November,  being  Evacuation  Day.  On 
that  occasion,  though  the  weather  was  unfavorable,  a  large  audience 
was  present,  including  the  Mayor  and  several  members  of  the  Com- 
mon Council  and  State  Legislature.  The  opening  prayer  was  by 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Milnor;  the  address  was  by  Thomas  R.  Mercein,  Esq., 


1820]  MECHANICS     AND     TRADESMEN.  6 1 

with  a  brief  reply  by  Master  Daniel  Lowber,  of  the  Mechanics'  School, 
and  another  by  Master  John  Post,  an  apprentice,  on  behalf  of  the 
apprentices.  The  whole  concluded  with  a  prayer  by  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Milledollar.  In  the  evening  the  library  was  crowded  with  appren- 
tices supplying  themselves  with  books.  Nearly  three  hundred  were 
loaned.  On  the  succeeding  Saturday  the  applicants  were  equally 
numerous.  All  fear  that  the  apprentices  would  not  avail  themselves 
of  the  advantages  of  the  library  was  dissipated.  It  may  be  men- 
tioned that  Arnold  Douglass,  a  member  of  the  Society,  still  inter- 
ested in  its  operations,  and  an  attendant  of  its  meetings,  on  the 
opening  meeting  recorded  his  name  as  a  reader,  and  took  home, 
as  he  remembers,  Bunyan's  "  Holy  War." 


CHAPTER  V. 


ERECTION    OF    MECHANICS'  HALL. 

T  the  annual  meeting  held  January  9th,  1821,  the  follow- 
ing officers  were  elected  : 

Elam  Williams,  President.  John  Slidell,  Treasurer. 

William  Mandeville,  Vice-Pres.    James  Hopson,  Secretary. 
John  W.  Hariton,  2d  Vice-Pres.    Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 

At  the  same  meeting,  the  committee  on  the  school  and  library 
was  enlarged  to  forty-eight  members,  who  were  instructed  to 
classify  themselves  by  lot — the  first  class  to  serve  one,  the  second 
two,  and  the  third  three  years. 

A  vote  of  thanks  to  the  school  and  library  committee  was 
passed,  expressive  of  the  appreciation  by  the  Society  of  their  faith- 
ful and  intelligent  services. 

At  the  meeting  held  February  7th,  182 1,  was  submitted  to  the 
Society  the  act  of  the  Legislature  of  the  State  authorizing  the 
appropriation  of  a  portion  of  the  funds  of  the  Society  for  the 
establishment  of  a  school  and  an  apprentices'  library.  ( Vide 
Appendix  E.)  At  the  same  meeting  a  committee  of  seven  mem- 
bers was  appointed,  with  power  to  purchase  a  lot  of  land,  and  to 
erect  a  building  with  rooms  of  sufficient  dimensions  for  the  accom- 
modation of  the  Society,  and  school  and  library. 


66  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [1821 

At  a  meeting  held  March  6th,  1821,  the  treasurer  presented  a 
report,  from  which  the  following  statements  are  extracted : 

ft 

Mechanics'  Hall,  valued  at  $30,000 

One  thousand  shares  in  Mechanics'  Bank,  valued  at  28,000 
Mortgage  on  property  of  Abram  D.  Mount,  .  .  2,000 
Balance  in  treasury,   2,904 

$62,904 

Shares  of  stock  in  hall  still  due,   480 

Value  of  assets  belonging  to  Society,     ....  $62,424 

ESTIMATE     OF  RECEIPTS. 

Net  income  from  Mechanics'  Hall,   $2,100 

Dividend  on  one  thousand  shares  Mechanics'  Bank 

stock,   Ii75° 

Interest  on  bond  and  mortgage,   140 

Estimate  of  initiation  fees,   800 

ESTIMATE     OF     EXPENDITURES.  $4' 79° 

Widow  and  orphan  pensions,   $870 

Discretionary  donations,   900 

Salaries  and  other  expenses,   220 

$1,990 

School-teacher's  salary,   750 

Librarian's  salary,   200 

Rent  of  library  and  school  rooms,   250 

Fuel,  stationery,  and  other  expenses   200 

Deduct—  $3»390 

Say  twenty  pay  scholars,  $400 

Proportion  of  School  Fund,   180 

   5?o 

$2,810 

Balance  $1,980 


And  this  yearly  sum  may  be  loaned,  or  an  extension  may  be  made 
of  the  charities  of  the  Society,  either  by  an  enlargement  of  the  pen- 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


67 


sions  of  the  widows  and  orphans  or  by  the  erection  of  a  suitable 


building  for  a  school  and  library. 

At  a  meeting  held  May  3d,  182 1,  the  committee  appointed  to  pur- 
chase a  lot  and  erect  a  building  thereon  for  the  school  and  library, 
reported  that  they  had  contracted  with  William  Mooney  and  the  cor- 
poration of  the  city  for  a  sixty  years'  lease  of  land  on  Chambers 
street,  for  which  $1,000  and  an  annual  rent  of  $125  was  to  be  paid. 

This  lease  terminated  in  the  year  1881.  The  committee  was 
authorized  to  go  on  with  the  building,  its  cost  not  to  exceed 
$7,000.  It  does  not  appear  what  came  of  the  action  of  the  cor- 
poration, May  10th,  1813,  granting  two  lots  to  the  Society  at  the 
corner  of  Leonard  and  Elm  streets,  for  the  school  and  library, 
with  a  proviso  that  they  should  be  built  upon  within  three  years. 
It  may  be  surmised  that  the  locality  was  not  approved,  and  that 
the  Chambers  street  lease  was  thought  to  be  more  desirable. 

Contracts  for  the  erection  of  the  "Mechanics'  Institution"  were  at 
once  entered  into.  The  corner-stone  of  the  building  was  laid,  with  ap- 
propriate ceremonies,  on  the  13th  day  of  June,  the  members  of  the 
Society,  the  readers  of  the  library,  and  the  children  of  the  school 
participating.  The  following  was  the  inscription  upon  the  corner-stone  : 

"This  building  erected  by  the  General  Society  of  the  Mechanics 
and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New- York,  for  a  Mechanics' 
School  and  Apprentices'  Library,  A.  D.  1821,  and  in  the  45th 
year  of  the  Independence  of  the  United  States  of  America. 


OFFICERS. 


BUILDING  COMMITTEE. 


Elam  Williams,  President. 
William  Mandeville,  Vice-Pres. 
John  W.  Hinton,  2d  Vice-Pres. 
John  Slidell,  Treasurer. 
James  Hopson,  Secretary. 
Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 


Thomas  R.  Mercein. 


Jacob  Lorillard. 
Gideon  Lee. 


William  J.  Waldron. 
Abraham  Bloodgood. 
Gideon  Tucker. 


BUILDERS. 


Gideon  Tucker. 


Isaac  Lucas. 


>> 


68 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


On  the  26th  of  November,  1821,  the  new  building  was  opened 
with  appropriate  ceremonies.  The  address  was  delivered  by  Mor- 
decai  M.  Noah,  Esq.  The  building  continued  to  be  occupied  for 
the  purposes  of  its  erection  until  larger  accommodations  were 
required,  and  the  building  on  Crosby  street  purchased. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  8th,  1822,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  : 

William  Mandeville,  President.  John  Slidell,  Treasurer. 
John  W.  Hinton,  Vice-Pres.  James  Hopson,  Secretary. 

Hugh  McCormick,  2d  Vice-Pres.       Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 

At  the  meeting  held  February  6th,  1822,  the  treasurer  made 
the  following  statement  of  the  assets  of  the  Society : 


Cash  in  treasury,   $421.13 

Mechanics'  Hall,   30,000  00 

One    thousand    shares    of    Mechanics'  Bank 

stock,   29,750.00 

Lot  on  Chambers  street,   1,000.00 

Paid  on  account  of  Institution   4,219  75 

$65,390.88 

Deduct  forty-two  shares  unredeemed  loan  and 

interest,   445 . 20 

$64,945  68 

The  receipts  for  the  past  year  were  ....  $5,274  .24 
The  expenditures  for  the  past  year  were    .    .  3,567.60 

$1,706.64 


The  above  balance  may  have  been  considerably  affected  by 
the  result  of  the  lawsuit  into  which  the  Society  was  forced,  con- 
cerning the  two  feet  on  the  north  part  of  lot  on  Broadway  and 
Robinson  street. 


i83o] 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


69 


At  a  meeting  held  August  7th,  1822,  the  following  interesting 
preamble  and  resolution  were  adopted : 

"  Whereas,  Charles  Starr,  a  member  of  this  Society,  has  gra- 
tuitously taught  a  course  of  English  grammar  to  a  class  of  apprentice 
boys,  exhibiting  to  the  world  the  novel  and  interesting  spectacle  of 
literature  mingling  with  labor,  and  of  a  master  mechanic  and  appren- 
tices devoting  their  leisure  evenings  to  literary  improvement, — a 
spectacle  creditable  to  the  teacher,  beneficial  to  the  pupils,  and 
honorable  to  the  name  of  mechanics ; 

"  Therefore,  resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  the  Society  be  pre- 
sented to  Mr.  Starr;  and  that  the  secretary  be  directed  to  inform 
him  of  this  action." 

At  the  same  meeting,  Thomas  R.  Mercein,  Richard  E.  Mount, 
and  Gideon  Lee  were  appointed  a  committee  to  report  a  by-law 
stating,  distinctly  and  precisely,  what  shall  constitute  a  qualification 
for  membership  of  the  Society. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  14th,  1823,  the  following 
officers  were  elected : 

John  W.  Hinton,  President.        John  Slidell,  Treasurer. 

John  Lang,  Vice-President.  James  Hopson,  Secretary. 

John  Sutphen,  2d  Vice-Pres.        Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 

The  committee  on  the  qualification  for  membership  made  a  report, 
the  substance  of  which  was  that,  in  the  early  days  of  the  Society, 
for  the  sake  of  receiving  a  large  membership,  a  large  number  were 
admitted  whose  only  title  to  the  character  of  mechanic  rested  in  the 
fact  that,  at  some  period  of  their  lives,  they  had  worked  at  or  fol- 
lowed a  trade,  or  were,  or  had  been,  connected  in  business  with  a 
mechanic.  A  nicer  discrimination  was  recommended,  and  a  resolu- 
tion limiting  membership  to  persons  brought  up  to  a  mechanical 
trade  was  also  reported.    Nothing,  however,  came  of  it. 

At  a  meeting  held   February  5th,   1823,  the  committee  on  the 


70 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


new  building  in  Chambers  street  reported  its  cost  to  be  $7,542.09. 
The  treasurer  reported  the  assets  and  liabilities  as  follows  : 


ASSETS. 

Cash  in  the  treasurer's  hands,   $546.22 

Mechanics'  Hall,  valued  at   30,000.00 

One  thousand  shares  of  Mechanics'  Bank  stock,  27,500  00 

Chambers  street  lease  of  lot,   1,000.00 

Paid  toward  building,   5>oi975 


LIABILITIES.  $64,065.97 

Forty-two  shares  of  loan  and  interest,  .  .  .  $445  20 
Value  of  the  property  of  the  Society,     .    .    .   $63,620  77 

At  a  meeting  held  September  5th,  1823,  the  committee  on  the 
library  reported  the  whole  number  of  books  in  the  library  to  be 
5,480,  of  which  408  had  been  donated  since  the  month  of  May  last. 
The  law  proceedings  respecting  the  two  feet  of  land  purchased  from 
William  G.  Miller,  in  Chambers  street,  continued  to  annoy  the  So- 
ciety, and  no  satisfactory  settlement  could  be  arrived  at. 

The  new  code  of  by-laws  was  adopted  December  3d,  1823,  and 
ordered  to  be  printed.    ( Vide  Appendix  F.) 

At  a  meeting  held  January  7th,  1824,  the  school  committee  re- 
ported that  the  school  at  present  numbers  117  pupils.  Of  these,  53 
were  gratuitously  educated,  8  paid  in  part,  and  56  paid  in  full.  The 
receipts  of  the  school  during  the  year  were  %j']2>-2>A' 

The  annual  meeting  of  the  Society  was  held  January  13th,  1824, 
when  the  following  officers  were  elected  : 

John  Lang,  President.  John  Slidell,  Treasure): 

John  Sutphen,  Vice-President.         James  Hopson,  Secretary. 
Thomas  Richards,  2d  Vice-Pres.     Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 
Reuben  Odell,  Door-keeper. 

The  overseers  of  the  poor  reported  that  the  sum  of  $1,242  had 


MECHANICS      AND  TRADESMEN 


71 


been  expended  during  the  year  1823  /or  the  support  of  the  indi- 
gent under  their  care. 

At  a  meeting  held  February  4th,  1824,  the  treasurer  reported 


the  assets  of  the  Society  as  follows : 

Mechanics'  Hall,  valued  at   $30,000.00 

One  thousand  shares  of  Mechanics'  Bank  stock, 

valued  at    27,250.00 

Mechanics'  Institution,   8,500  .00 

Cash  in  treasury,   1,594.18 

INDEBTEDNESS  OF  THE  SOCIETY.        $^7'344  r^ 

Due  Mechanics'  Bank,  ....    $2,772  00 

Thirty  loan  shares  and  interest,  .         318  00 —  $3,090.00 

$64,254.  18 


Thus  it  appears  that,  financially,  the  Society  kept  on  the  even 
tenor  of  its  way,  and  about  used  all  its  receipts  in  its  disburse- 
ments for  expenses,  including  its  pensions  and  donations  for  the 
needy,  its  school  for  the  education  of  the  children,  and  its  library  for 
apprentices. 

At  a  meeting  held  January  5th,  1825,  the  school  comr.  ittee  re- 
ported the  number  of  scholars  belonging  to  the  school  at  115,  of 
which  51  were  gratuitously  taught.  The  school  received  for  tuition 
$1,106.34,  and  from  the  common-school  fund  $90.  The  total  receipts 
were,  therefore,  $1,196.34.  The  total  expenditures  were  $1,494.15. 
The  cost  of  educating  the  indigent  pupils  was,  therefore,  $297.81. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  nth,  1825,  the  following 
officers  were  elected : 

John  Sutphen,  President.  John  Slidell,  Treasurer. 

Thomas  Richards,  Vice-President.    James  Hopson,  Secretary. 
Edward  Arrowsmith,  2d  Vice-Pres.  Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 
Reuben  Odell,  Door-keeper. 


y2  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [1821 

At  a  meeting  held  October  5th,  1825,  the  library  committee 
made  their  annual  report,  from  which  it  appeared  that  the  number 
of  volumes  in  the  library  was  6,725.  The  number  of  readers  during 
the  year  was  1,275. 

At  a  meeting  held  January  4th,  1826,  the  school  committee 
made  their  annual  report,  by  which  it  appeared  that  there  had  been 
received  from  paying  pupils  $1,641.76,  and  from  the  school  fund, 
$72.90.  Total  receipts,  $1,714.66.  The  expenditures  were  as  fol- 
lows: Paid  to  teachers,  $1,340;  for  furniture,  $200;  sundry  ex- 
penses, $224.33.  The  receipts  nearly  paid  the  expenses.  The 
number  of  scholars  was  120;  of  these  41  were  free  pupils. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  10th,  1826,  the  following 
officers  were  elected : 

Thomas  Richards,  President.         Wm.  Mandeville,  Treasurer. 
Edward  Arrowsmith,  Vice-Pres.    James  Hopson,  Secretary. 
Richard  E.  Mount,  2d  Vice-Pres.  Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 
Reuben  Odell,  Door-keeper. 

At  the  meeting  held  April  5th,  1826,  the  school  committee  was 
directed  to  take  measures  to  separate  the  girls'  department  from 
that  of  the  boys.  Previous  to  this,  both  had  met  in  the  same 
room. 

At  a  meeting  held  December  5th,  1826,  the  library  committee 
reported,  stating  the  number  of  volumes  in  the  library  at  6,487. 
The  number  of  readers  during  the  year  was  1,286.  The  committee 
observe  with  pleasure  that  works  of  history  and  treatises  on  the 
mechanic  arts  have  been  particularly  in  demand. 

At  a  meeting  held  January  3d,  1827,  the  school  committee 
reported  the  number  of  boys  to  have  been  122;  of  whom  24  were 
gratuitously  taught.  The  number  taught  in  the  girls'  department 
had  been  95,  of  whom  19  received  gratuitous  education.    The  girls' 


i83o] 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


73 


school  was  formally  opened  May  ist.  The  same  system  of  education 
was  pursued  in  each  department,  except  that  in  the  girls',  plain 
and  ornamental  needle-work,  painting,  and  drawing  were  substi- 
tuted for  mathematics  and  geometry. 

The  receipts  were:  for  tuition,  $2,257.05;  from  the  school  fund, 
$153.00;  total,  $2,410.05.    The  expenditures  were  $2,716.75. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  9th,  1827,  the  following 
officers  were  elected : 

Thomas  R.  Mercein,  President.     William  Mandeville,  Treas. 
Richard  E.  Mount,  Vice-Pres.      Joseph  C.  Hart,  Secretary. 
Andrew  Litcher,  2d  Vice-Pres.    Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 
Reuben  Odell,  Door-keeper. 

At  the  meeting  held  March  7th,  1827,  the  treasurer  reported  the 
funds  of  the  Society  as  follows  : 

•Mechanics'  Hall,  valued  at   $30,000.00 

Mechanics'  Institution,   8,500.00 

One  thousand  shares  in  Mechanics'  Bank,  .    .  27,500.00 

Cash  in  treasury   1,344.28 

Total,  $67,344.28 

From  this  was  to  be  deducted  — 

Amount  of  bond  due  the  Mechanics'  Bank,    .      $2,772  .00 
Twenty  Mechanics'  Hall  Loan  shares,  with 

three  years'  interest,   354.00 

Total,  $3,126.00 

Showing  a  balance  in  favor  of  the  Society  of  $64,218.28. 

A  new  edition  of  the  by-laws  was  issued  during  the  year  1827, 
but  the  changes  were  few  and  unimportant. 

At  a  meeting  held  September  2d,  1827,  the  library  committee 
presented  their  annual  report.    The  number  of  accounts  opened  with 


74 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


readers  during  the  preceding  year  was  1,152.  The  books  in  the 
library  were  as  follows  : 

Folios   44 

Quartos,   130 

Octavos,  2,094 

Duodecimos,  4»72i — 6,989 

In  the  possession  of  readers   100 

Total,   7,089 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  8th,  1828,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  : 

Richard  E.  Mount,  President.  William  Mandeville,  Treas. 
Andrew  Litchek,  Vice-Pres.  Joseph  C.  Hart,  Secretary. 

Stephen  B.  Young,  2d  Vice-Pres.  Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 
Reuben  Odell,  Door-keeper. 

At  the  same  meeting,  the  school  committee  presented  their 
annual  report,  by  which  it  appeared  that  the  total  receipts  during 
the  year  1827  were  $3,464.97,  and  the  expenditures  $3,325.88;  and 
that  the  school  consisted  of  128  boys,  26  of  whom  were  gratuitous 
pupils  ;  and  99  girls,  of  whom  20  were  gratuitous. 

At  a  meeting  held  January  23d,  1828,  a  memorial  to  the  Leg- 
islature of  the  State  was  adopted,  praying  for  a  renewal  of  the 
charter  of  the  Mechanics'  Bank. 

At  a  meeting  held  January  7th,  1829,  the  library  committee,  to 
whom  had  been  referred  the  subject  of  loaning,  from  the  library, 
works  of  fiction,  reported  as  follows:  "In  answer  to  the  resolu- 
tion, your  committee  reply  that,  in  their  opinion,  it  is  expedient 
to  continue  the  issue  of  the  books  mentioned  therein  ;  and  they 
would  respectfully  suggest  to  any  member  who  does  not  approve 
of  this  course,  and  who  has  in  his  employ  readers  of  the  library, 


i83o] 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


75 


that  he  give  instructions  to  the  librarian  not  to  issue  such  books 
to  those  in  his  charge."    The  report  was  adopted. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  13th,  1829,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  year  ensuing : 

Andrew  Litcher,  President.       William  Mandeville,  Treas. 
Stephen  B.  Young,  Vicc-Pres.    Joseph  C.  Hart,  Secretary. 
Brigham  Howe,  2d  Vice- Pres.     Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 
Reuben  Odell,  Door-keeper. 

The  treasurer  reported  the  receipts  during  the  past  year  at 
$4,719.19,  and  the  expenditures  at  $4,662.16.  The  property  of  the 
Society  was  estimated  at  $61,000,  subject  to  bond  due  Mechanics' 
Bank  for  $1,272,  and  to  thirty  loan-shares  and  interest,  amounting 
to  $372  ;  balance,  $59,356.  This  was  a  reduction,  as  compared 
with  former  reports,  not  of  property,  but  of  estimates,  of  the  value 
of  the  Chambers  street  property  and  the  Mechanics'  Bank  stock. 

The  report  of  the  school  committee  gave  the  receipts  of  the 
school  for  the  past  year  at  $3,601.10,  and  the  expenditures  at 
$3,335.90.  The  Society  is  congratulated  upon  the  excellent'  con- 
dition and  prospects  of  the  school,  which  had  been  equally  flour- 
ishing at  no  former  period.  More  than  forty  children  of  deceased 
and  indigent  members  had  been  gratuitously  instructed. 

At  the  meeting  held  September  2d,  1829,  it  was  voted  that 
members  of  the  Mechanics'  Society  be  entitled  to  the  use  of  the 
Apprentices'  Library  upon  the  payment  of  an  annual  fee  of  one  dollar. 
Up  to  this  time  the  library  had  been  used  only  by  apprentices. 

At  the  meeting  held  January  6th,  1830,  the  treasurer  reported 
that  overtures  had  been  made  to  Mr.  Mercein  by  an  agent  of 
Colonel  Burr,  for  a  loan  of  money.  As  this  was  a  circumstance 
expected,  and  for  which  some  preparatory  measures  had  been  taken, 
a  negotiation  was  commenced  under  the  legal  advice  of  King  &  Rug- 


76  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [1821 

gles,  attorneys-at-law,  which  terminated  in  the  purchase  from  Mrs. 
Eden  of  that  piece  of  ground  on  which  a  part  of  Mechanics'  Hall 
stands,  for  $2,500.  Deeds  from  all  the  parties  interested  were 
executed,  and  by  this  operation  the  Society  secured  the  title  to  the 
land,  which  must  be  of  great  advantage  if  a  sale  of  the  property 
should  ever  be  deemed  advisable.  In  reference  to  the  claim  of  the 
Society  against  the  estate  of  William  G.  Miller,  it  was  considered 
prudent  to  have  the  deed  taken  in  the  name  of  the  treasurer,  who 
would  be  ready  at  any  time,  when  required,  to  make  a  deed  to  the 
Society.  The  Society  approved  these  proceedings,  and  purchased 
the  disputed  part  of  the  title  for  $2,500.  The  purchase  of  this  strip 
of  land,  two  feet  in  width  and  one  hundred  feet  in  depth,  proved  a 
very  costly  one.    The  following  are  the  items  : 


Original  amount  paid  Miller   $575.00 

Aaron  Burr's  judgment  vs.  heirs,   965.00 

Rent  between  end  of  suit  to  date,   580.00 

Final  payment,   2,500.00 

Sheriff's  cost  in  suit,   790.72 

E.  W.  King,  Society's  counsel,   100.00 


$5oIo  72 

This  was,  perhaps,  as  wise  a  settlement  of  the  suit  as  possible 
under  the  circumstances.  It  was  prudent  to  close  the  business,  and 
a  great  cause  of  annoyance  and  difficulty  was  settled  forever. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  12th,  1830,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  year  ensuing: 

Stephen  B.  Young,  President.      William  Mandeville,  Trcas. 

Brigiiam  Howe,  Vice-Pres.  Joseph  C.  Hart,  Secretary. 
Benjamin  Demilt,  2d  Vice-Pres.    Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 

Reuben  Odell,  Door-keeper. 

At  the  meeting  held  in  February,  1830,  the  school  committee 
reported    that   the   school   was  still   prosperous.     The    number  of 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


77- 


scholars  was  207,  of  whom  47  were  the  children  of  indigent  and 
deceased  brothers,  and  taught  free  of  expense. 

Thomas  R.  Mercein  offered  the  following  resolution,  which  was 
laid  on  the  table : 

"  Whereas,  by  the  plan  for  the  establishment  of  an  university 
in  the  city  of  New-York,  on  a  broad  and  liberal  scale,  and  com- 
mensurate with  the  wants,  the  wishes,  and  the  expectations  of  this 
community,  it  is  stipulated  that  the  school  founded  by  the  General 
Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New-York 
shall,  at  all  times,  be  entitled  to  the  privilege  of  having  two 
students  in  said  university  without  charge,  to  be  chosen  in  such 
manner  as  the  Society  shall  prescribe ;  and  Whereas,  it  is  fit  and 
proper  that  such  liberality  should  be  met  by  the  Society  in  a  cor- 
responding spirit. 

"  Therefore,  Resolved,  That  the  school  committee  be,  and  they  are 
hereby,  authorized  to  appropriate  the  sum  of  $1,000  for  the  purpose 
of  founding  a  scholarship  in  said  university,  to  be  paid  to  the 
trustees  thereof,  at  such  times  and  upon  such  conditions  as  may 
hereafter  be  prescribed." 

At  the  meeting  in  April,  however,  this  resolution  was  rejected. 

At  the  meeting  held  June  2d,  1830,  W.  Mandeville  reported  that 
he,  with  Susan  Mandeville,  his  wife,  had  executed  a  deed  to  this 
Society,  bearing  date  May  2d,  1830,  of  all  that  part  of  the  Broad- 
way property  on  which  Mechanics'  Hall  stands,  which  had  been 
in  dispute  with  the  Eden  family  and  Aaron  Burr  for  several  years. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


FINANCIAL  TRANSACTIONS  AND  EDUCATIONAL  MATTERS. 


iT  the  annual  meeting  held  January  nth,  1831,  the  follow- 
ing officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 

Brigham  Howe,  President.  William  Mandeville,  Treas. 

Benjamin  De  Milt,  Vice-Pres.   Joseph  C.  Hart,  Secretary. 
Philip  Henry,  2d  Vice-Pres.       Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 
Reuben  Odell,  Door-keeper. 

The  different  officers  and  committees,  as  usual,  made  their 
annual  reports. 

The  claim  of  the  Society  against  the  heirs  of  William  G.  Miller, 
which  had  been  for  a  long  time  outstanding,  remained  unliquidated. 
The  estate  had  failed  to  pay  sums  agreed  upon,  and  for  their 
collection  the  committee  having  the  matter  in  charge  was  directed 
to  proceed  in  the  most  summary  manner. 


82  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [1831 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  10th,  1832,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year: 

Benjamin  De  Milt,  President.        William  Mandeville,  Treas. 
Philip  Henry,  Vice-Pres.  Joseph  C.  Hart,  Secretary. 

Edwin  B.  Clayton,  2d  Vice-Pres.   Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 
Reuben  Odell,  Door-keeper. 

The  treasurer  reported  that  he  had  received  from  the  estate 
of  William  G.  Miller  the  sum  of  $3,858.75,  in  full  settlement  of 
claim  for  deficiency  of  title  to  the  strip  of  land  on  Broadway  and 
Park  Place.  The  cost  of  the  two  feet  of  land  thus  proved  to  be 
$1,652,  besides  interest  to  a  considerable  amount.  Yet  it  has  proved 
a  profitable  investment.  The  land  was  bought  without  sufficient 
attention  to  title. 

During  the  year  past,  sixty-five  new  members  had  been  initiated. 
The  treasurer  suggested  that,  in  the  present  prosperous  condition 
of  the  Society,  the  initiation  fee  might  with  propriety  be  raised 
to  $30.00. 

At  the  meeting  held  February  1st,  the  committee  on  the  treas- 
urer's report  reported  that  they  had  examined  it  and  found  it 
correct,  a  balance   remaining  in  his  hands  to  the   credit  of  the 

Society  of  $2,478.31. 

The  annual  report  of  the  school  committee  showed  the  receipts 
for  all  services  to  be  $4,017.04,  and  the  balance  remaining  on 
hand  $248.81. 

Thomas  R.  Mercein,  chairman  ol  the  special  committee  appointed 
in  March,  1831,  to  consider  measures  for  extending  the  usefulness 
of  the  Society,  so  far  as  relates  to  education,  announced  that  an 
opportunity  now  offered  of  purchasing  the  estate  occupied  by  the 
Boys'  High  School  in  Crosby  street,  consisting  of  four  full  lots 
of  land,  of  twenty-five  feet  by  one  hundred  feet  each,  being  one 


1840] 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


83 


hundred  feet  on  Crosby  street.  On  the  land  was  a  spacious  brick 
school-house  of  three  stories,  fifty  feet  in  front,  and  seventy-five 
feet  deep,  and  well  adapted  to  the  wants  of  the  Society.  The  pur- 
chase of  this  property  was  warmly  recommended,  and  was  authorized 
by  the  Society. 

At  the  meeting  held  February  8th,  1832,  the  special  committee 
on  the  purchase  of  the  Crosby  street  property  reported  that  they 
had  entered  into  negotiations  for  its  conveyance  to  the  Society 
for  the  sum  of  $20,000.  This  purchase  would  include  the  school 
fixtures  and  furniture,  valued  at  $1,000.  A  sum  of  $2,000  it  would 
be  necessary  to  pay  upon  consummation  of  the  sale,  the  residue  to 
be  paid,  or  secured  to  be  paid,  on  the  1st  of  May  following,  when 
the  property  would  be  delivered.  The  report  was  accepted,  and 
the  treasurer  authorized  to  pay  $2,000,  the  first  installment  of  pur- 
chase money. 

It  was  determined  at  once  to  open  a  subscription  to  assist  in 
paying  the  purchase  money,  and  to  borrow  the  balance  from  the 
Mechanics'  Bank.  Measures  were  at  once  taken  for  occupying  the 
building,  and  for  improving  it,  when  it  appeared  that  authority  for 
the  conveyance  of  the  estate  from  the  Legislature  would  be  required. 
The  cholera  having  made  its  appearance,  the  Crosby  street  building, 
by  permission  of  the  Society,  was  occupied  as  a  hospital,  and  the 
improvements  were  suspended. 

At  a  meeting  held  October  3d,  1832,  the  special  committee  on 
the  subject  submitted  a  report  of  the  account  of  money  and  shares 
of  High  School  stock  subscribed  for  the  Apprentices'  Library  and 
reading-room,  with  a  list  of  subscribers.  The  total  sum  of  $4,065 
had  been  obtained.  Of  this  sum,  $1,585  had  been  obtained  from 
members,  and  the  balance  from  other  persons  favoring  the  project. 
The  committee  regret  that  so  little  interest  in  the  subscription  had 
been   manifested  by  the  members.     There  evidently  had  been  a 


84 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


want  of  cordial  cooperation,  and  the  committee  complain  that  its 
operations  had  been  suddenly  arrested  by  the  action  of  the  Society. 


The  following 

o 

is  a 

list  of  the  subscribers  : 

Benjamin  De  Milt, 

$250 

J.  Pintard,  .    .  '. 

•  $25 

W.  F.  &  S.  Mott,  .  . 

$100 

J.  R.  Willis,    .    .  . 

IOO 

C.  Dubois,  .    .  . 

5° 

Robert  Jones,     .  . 

5° 

J.  T.  DOLAN,     .     .  . 

25 

B.  Deforest,    .  . 

2S 

H.  N.  Bush,   .    .  . 

25 

F.  NOSTRAND,    .     .  . 

25 

0.  Churchman,  . 

2S 

Trowbridge  &  Nicholls,  3 

Gideon  Lee,    .    .  . 

200 

Firth  &  Hall,  . 

25 

John  Mortimer,  .  . 

5 

Joseph  Curtis,    .  . 

I25 

J.  C.  Morrison,  . 

2S 

George  Bruce,   .  . 

20 

Jacob  Lorillard,  . 

IOO 

P.  Hone,     .    .  . 

100 

C.  C.  Jacobus,    .  . 

25 

J.  G.  Pierson,    .  . 

IOO 

W.  Howard,   .  . 

IOO 

Thos.  Powers,    .  . 

2S 

Daniel  E.  Tylee,  . 

IOO 

A.  Palmer,  .    .  . 

IOO 

A.  Lockwood,     .  . 

25 

1  Hub.  1.  WOODKUrr,  . 

I  OO 

—  Olm  stead,  .  . 

IOO 

James  Harriott, 

25 

John  Mason,  .  ... 

200 

Peter  Sharpe, 

IOO 

Wm.  Harsall,     .  . 

25 

D.  Austen,     .    .  . 

200 

Wm.  A.  Mercein,  . 

•  25 

Simeon  Pye,    .    .  . 

10 

G.  Tucker,     .    .  . 

IOO 

E.  Arrowsmith,  . 

•  25 

J.  P.  Bunting,    .  . 

25 

Shepherd  Knapp,  . 

IOO 

M.  E.  Thompson, 

•  5° 

B.  Halstead,  .    .  . 

25 

R.  C.  Cornell,    .  . 

I2S 

A.  S.  Norwood,  . 

IOO 

C.  C.  Andrews,  .  . 

25 

Thos.  R.  Mercein,  . 

IOO 

A.  McIntyre,  .  . 

IOO 

J.  J.  Palmer,  .    .  . 

25 

S.  Leggatt,     .    .  . 

IOO 

Daniel  Braine,  . 

IOO 

Charles  Starr,  .  . 

I2S 

H.  Westervelt,  .  . 

5° 

Barney  Corse,  . 

IOO 

Mrs.  S.  L.  Mitchell,  25 

Isaac  Frost,   .    .  . 

IOO 

M.  Rankin,     .  . 

10 

R.  Wight,  .    .    .  . 

25 

W.  B.  Lawrence, 

5° 

John  Budd,     .  . 

.  42 

A.  Masterton,    .  . 

25 

At  a  meeting 

held  October  31st, 

1832, 

it  was  resolved 

that 

the  library  committee  be  requested  to  arrange  such  part  of  the 
building  in  Crosby  street  as  is  designed  for  the  use  of  the  library ; 
that  the  school  committee  arrange  accommodations  for  the  Mechanics' 
School,  and  for  the  meetings  of  the  Society ;  and  to  finance  and 
loaning  committees  was  confided  the  matter  of  repairs.  The  general 
matters  heretofore  confided  to  the  special  committee  were  submitted 
to  a  new  committee  of  seven. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  8th,  1833,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 

Philip  Henrv,  President.  William  Mandeville,  Treas. 

Edwin  B.  Clayton,  Vice-Pres.     James  Van  Norden,  Secretary. 
James  Hopson,  2d  Vicc-Prcs.        Robert  Provoost,  Co//eetor. 
Reuben  Odell,  Door-keeper. 


1840] 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


85 


The  treasurer  presented  his  annual  report.  Among  other  matters, 
he  mentioned  that  he  had  received  $600  from  the  Board  of  Health 
for  the  use  of  the  Crosby  street  building  for  a  cholera  hospital. 

At  a  meeting  held  in  February,  1833,  the  school  committee  pre- 
sented the  annual  report,  by  which  it  appeared  that  the  receipts  for 
the  past  year  were  $3,729.08,  and  the  expenditures  $3,940.26, 
leaving  a  deficiency  of  $211.18.  This  lack  of  prosperity  in  the 
school  is  attributed  to  the  prevalence  of  the  cholera. 

An  authorized  copy  of  the  new  charter  was  presented,  as  follows : 

An  Act  to  renew  and  amend  an  Act  entitled  "An  Act  relative  to  the  General 
Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New-  York,  passed 
April  jd,  1 8 11."    Passed  February  18th,  i8jj. 

The  People  of  the  State  of  New  -  York,  represented  in  Senate  and  Assembly,  do 
enact  as  follozvs : 

I.  The  act  entitled  "An  act  relative  to  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics 
and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New-York,  passed  April  3d,  181 1,"  as  amended 
by  the  act  relating  to  the  said  Society,  passed  January  26th,  1821,  is  hereby 
renewed,  and  extended  to  the  first  Monday  in  April,  in  the  year  eighteen 
hundred  and  sixty. 

II.  The  said  Society  shall  have  power  to  use  their  funds  for  the  support  of 
indigent  members  of  the  said  corporation,  and  the  widows  and  children  of  any 
person  having  been  a  member  thereof ;  for  the  establishment,  support,  and 
maintenance  of  a  school  for  the  gratuitous  education  of  the  children  of  deceased 
or  indigent  members  of  the  said  Society ;  and  for  the  establishment,  support, 
and  maintenance  of  a  library  and  reading-rooms,  for  the  use  of  apprentices, 
of  mechanics,  and  others  in  the  city  of  New- York. 

III.  The  initiation  fee  for  the  admission  of  a  member  of  said  Society  shall 
be  such  sum  as  the  said  corporation  shall  direct,  provided  it  be  not  less  than 
thirty  dollars  ;  and  the  said  Society  shall  set  apart,  as  a  distinct  and  separate 
fund,  one-third  of  the  initiation  fees  so  received,  which,  together  with  such 
donations  or  bequests  as  may,  from  time  to  time,  be  made  for  that  purpose,  they 
shall  appropriate  exclusively  for  promoting  and  disseminating  literary  and 
scientific  knowledge. 

IV.  Every  candidate  for  membership,  being  a  citizen  of  the  United  States, 
and  a  mechanic  or  tradesman,  shall  be  proposed  and  vouched  for  by  at  least 
four  members  of  the  said  Society,  at  a  meeting  previous  to  his  election,  by 


86 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


ballot ;  and  no  person  shall  be  entitled  to  receive  any  pecuniary  aid  or  assistance 
from  the  funds  of  this  corporation,  nor  to  have  his  children  gratuitously  educated 
in  their  school,  until  he  shall  have  been  a  member  at  least  two  years ;  but  in 
case  of  his  death,  then  his  family  shall  be  entitled  to  all  the  benefits  of  this 
Society  immediately  after  his  decease. 

V.  The  said  Society  shall  be,  in  law,  capable  of  purchasing,  holding,  and 
conveying  any  estate,  real  or  personal,  for  the  use  and  benefit  of  said  cor- 
poration ;  but  the  lands,  tenements,  hereditaments,  and  personal  estate,  which  it 
shall  be  lawful  for  the  said  corporation  to  possess,  shall  not,  at  any  one  time, 
exceed  in  amount  the  sum  limited  by  the  act  aforesaid,  passed  April  3d,  181 1. 

VI.  This  act  shall  take  effect  immediately  after  its  passage,  and  the  Legis- 
lature may,  at  any  time  hereafter,  alter,  modify,  or  repeal  the  same. 

At  the  same  meeting,  the  financial  and  loaning  committee  re- 
ported that  they  had  leased  the  Society's  building  in  Chambers 
street  to  the  University  of  the  City  of  New-York  for  the  term  of 
two  years  and  one  month  from  April  1st,  at  the  annual  rent  of 
$1,000.  They  also  made  their  annual  report  of  the  receipts  and 
disbursements  of  the  Society  during  the  past  year.  They  also  re- 
ported the  property  of  the  Society  to  be  as  follows  : 

One  thousand  shares  of  Mechanics'  Bank  stock,  $25,000.00 


Mechanics'  Institute,   8,000.00 

Mechanics'  Hall,  35,000.00 

Property  in  Crosby  street   2,000  00 

$70,000  00 

Amount  in  treasury   1,673.22 

Total,  $71,673  .  22 


At  the  meeting  held  April  3d,  1833,  the  treasurer  of  the  Society 
was  authorized  to  borrow  from  the  Mechanics'  Bank  a  sum  not  to 
exceed  $8,000,  toward  the  payment  of  the  amount  due  the  New- 
York  High  School  Society  for  the  purchase  of  the  Crosby  street 
property. 

At   the    meeting   held  in   May,   1833,  measures  were  adopted 


1840] 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


87 


for  a  conveyance  of  the  Crosby  street  property,  which  is  thus  de- 
scribed:  "Four  certain  contiguous  lots  of  ground  situated  in  the 
Fourteenth  ward  of  the  city  of  New- York,  on  the  westerly  side  of 
Crosby  street,  between  Grand  and  Broome  streets,  containing  to- 
gether, in  width,  front,  and  rear,  and  also  on  each  side,  100  feet." 
Provision  was  also  made  for  mortgaging  the  same  to  Benjamin  S. 
Collins  for  a  loan  of  $10,000,  at  six  per  cent,  per  annum,  for  one 
year. 

At  the  meeting  held  in  June,  1833,  the  treasurer  reported  that 
he  had  received  a  deed  of  the  Crosby  street  property.  The  pur- 
chase money  was  $20,000;  of  this,  $10,000  was  borrowed  of  Ben- 
jamin S.  Collins,  as  above  stated  ;  $8,000  of  the  Mechanics'  Bank, 
and  $2,000  had  been  paid  in  cash.  There  had  been  a  payment  of 
$1,086  for  interest. 

At  a  meeting  held  in  October,  1833,  the  revised  code  of  by-laws 
was  adopted.    ( Vide  Appendix  G.) 

Members  of  the  Society  were  authorized  to  use  the  library  without 
charge.     An  annual  fee  of  one  dollar  had  heretofore  been  required. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  14th,  1834,  the  following 
officers  were  elected : 

Edwin  B.  Clayton,  President.  William  Mandeville,  Treas. 
James  Hopson,  Vice-Pres.  James  Van  Norden,  Sec. 

Adoniram  Chandler,  2d  Vice-Pres.  Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 
Reuben  Odell,  Door-keeper. 

At  the  meeting  in  February,  1834,  the  following  appropriations 
for  the  year  were  made : 

For  Finance  Committee,  $500 

"    Almoners,  '.  2,200 

"    Library  Committee,   600 

$3»300 


88  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [1831 

The  school  was  self-supporting.  The  annual  report  of  the 
librarian  gave  the  whole  number  of  books  in  the  library  as  9,789; 
the  whole  number  of  readers  at  1,356;  and  the  volumes  borrowed 
during  the  year  at  25,799. 

The  annual  report  of  the  school  committee  gave  the  number  of 
pupils  in  the  school  at  386  ;  of  these  45  were  taught  gratuitously. 
The  total  receipts  of  the  school  for  the  year  were  $4,847.29,  and 
the  total  expenditures  were  $4,417.33,  showing  a  balance  in  favor 
of  the  school  of  $429.96. 

During  the  year  1834,  attention  was  paid  by  the  Society  to  the 
subject  of  lectures  on  chemistry,  natural  philosophy,  etc.  ;  and  the 
finance  committee  recommended  the  erection  of  a  building  suitable 
for  their  delivery.  Nothing,  however,  was  at  this  time  decided. 
The  establishment  of  an  apprentices'  lyceum  was  also  proposed. 

The  committee  on  subscriptions  for  the  Crosby  street  property 
reported  that  very  nearly  the  whole  amount  had  been  paid  in. 
A  small  amount  remained  to  be  collected,  owing  to  the  pecuniary 
misfortunes  of  the  subscribers. 

The  annual  report  of  the  library  committee  gives  the  whole 
number  of  volumes  in  the  library  as  follows : 


Folios   75 

Quartos,   200 

Octavos,   2,068 

Duodecimos,   7»995 


10,338 

During  the  year  there  were  1,536  readers,  and  36,466  volumes 
were  loaned. 

At  the  meeting  held  January  7th,  1835,  it  was  resolved  that  all 
donations  in  money  and  shares  in  the  capital  stock  of  the  High 
School  Society,  with  one-third  of  the  initiation  fees,  be  kept  separate 
and  apart  from  the  general  fund,  to  constitute  a  literary  and  scientific 


1840] 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


89 


fund  for  promoting  the  moral  and  intellectual  improvement  of  the 
members,  and  of  those  connected  with  the  school  and  library.  The 
said  fund  was  to  be  appropriated  and  used  as  the  Society  may 
direct.  This  fund  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  treasurer,  and  the 
chairmen  of  the  finance,  school,  and  library  committees. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  13th,  1835,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 

Adoniram  Chandler,  President.    William  Mandeville,  Treas. 
Thomas  Constantine,  Vice-Pres.    James  Van  Norden,  Secretary. 
Shepherd  Knapp,  2d  Vice-Pres.     Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 
Reuben  Odell,  Door-keeper. 

The  annual  reports  showed  the  prosperous  state  of  the  several 
departments  of  the  Society.  Relief  had  been  extended  to  eighty- 
two  necessitous  persons,  to  the  amount  of  $2,095.50.  The  school 
committee  reported  the  number  of  scholars  as  follows : 

In  the  Male  Department,  paying   198 

"         "            "           gratuitous,   29 

In  the  Female  Department,  paying,   166 

"           "              "           gratuitous,   20 

Whole  number  413 

There  had  been  nearly  one  hundred  applications  for  admission. 
Receipts  for  pupils  for  the  year  were  as  follows : 

From  paying  scholars,  $7,253.84 

"      School  Fund,   400.86 

Total,  $7,654  .  70 

Expenditures  during  the  year,   6,115.12 

Balance  in  favor  of  the  School,  $x>539-5^ 

From  this  balance  the  committee  were  now  ready  to  pay  over 
to  the  literary  and  scientific  fund  the  sum  of  $600. 


9° 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


At  the  meeting  held  October  7th,  1835,  the  finance  committee 
reported  that  the  lease  of  the  Chambers  street  property  to  the 
New-York  University  had  been  canceled.  As  the  land  had  been 
diverted  from  its  original  purpose,  according  to  the  terms  of  the 
corporation  of  New-York,  the  City  Comptroller  had  given  notice  of 
his  intention  to  ask  for  an  arbitrator  to  fix  upon  a  yearly  rent  for 
the  land.  The  treasurer  and  finance  committee  were  directed  to 
confer  with  the  Common  Council  on  the  subject. 

At  a  meeting  held  January  6th,  1836,  the  treasurer  presented 
a  report  giving  an  estimate  of  the  value  of  the  property  of  the 


Society,  as  follows : 

Mechanics'  Hall,  $50,000 

Deduct  Loan  shares,                                     250 —  $49,750 

Mechanics'  Institute,   10,000 

School  and  Library  (Crosby  street),      ....  22,000 

Mechanics'  Bank  stock,  one  thousand  shares,    .  25,000 

Library,  books  and  furniture,   3.500 

School  furniture,   1,600 

$1 1 1,850 

Less  amount  due  Mechanics'  Bank   16,000 

Total,   $95.850 


This,  considering  the  large  operations  of  the  Society  in  its 
different  departments,  appears  to  be  a  very  satisfactory  statement. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  12th,  1836,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year: 

Thomas  Constantine4  President.    William  Mandeville,  Treas. 
Shepherd  Knapp,  Vice-Pres.         James  Van  Norden,  Secretary. 
Anson  Baker,  2d  Vice-Pres.  Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 

The  library  committee  reported  favorably  upon  the  condition  of 
the  library,  which  then  contained  10,825  books. 

The  finance  committee  was  instructed  to  rent  the  premises  on 


1840] 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


91 


Chambers  street,  as  there  was  no  present  prospect  of  action  by  the 
Common  Council  in  the  matter  of  the  lease. 

The  annual  report  of  the  almoners  showed  that  they  had  paid 
out  in  pensions  and  donations  the  sum  of  $2,076.75.  The  number 
of  persons  relieved  was  78  —  the  regular  pension  was  $25.00. 

The  annual  report  of  the  school  committee  showed  the  number 
of  pupils  registered  to  be  441.  Of  these  50  were  taught  gratuitously. 
The  following  was  the  financial  statement: 

Total  earnings  $7>538  55 

Received  from  School  Fund,   382.10 

"     old  school  bills,   353 .85 

Total,  $8,274.50 

Paid  Salaries,   $5,834  21 

"     Supplies,   750.00 

"     Housekeeper,   240.00 

"     Literary  Fund   600.00 — $7,424.21 

According  to  the  report,  there  were  a  large  number  of  applications 
on  record  for  admission  to  the  school,  which  it  was  necessary  to 
refuse,  on  account  of  the  limited  accommodations. 

At  the  meeting  held  April  6th,  1836,  the  trustees  of  the  literary 
fund  reported  the  receipts  for  the  year  at  $2,675.55.  This  had 
been  partially  invested  in  Mechanics'  Bank  and  High  School  stock. 
The  assets  of  the  fund  at  this  time  amounted  to  $4,584.05. 

At  the  meeting  held  November  2d,  1836,  a  by-law  was  passed 
authorizing  the  appointment  of  a  committee  for  promoting  and  dis- 
seminating literary  and  scientific  knowledge.    (Vide  Appendix  H.) 

At  the  meeting  held  January  4th,  1837,  the  library  committee 
presented  its  annual  report,  from  which  it  appeared  that  there  were 
in  the  library  10,120  volumes  in  good  order;  and  that  30,194  volumes 
had  been  borrowed  by  readers  during  the  past  year  ;  and  that  the 
expenses  for  the  year  amounted  to  $984.74. 


92 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


The  school  committee  presented  their  annual  report  for  three- 
quarters  of  the  year.  The  number  of  scholars  on  the  books  was 
503,  of  which  277  were  in  the  boys'  and  226  in  the  girls'  department. 

The  literary  and  scientific  committee  reported  that  Professor 
Renwick,  of  Columbia  College,  had  been  engaged  to  deliver  a  course 
of  eight  or  ten  lectures  on  chemistry  and  natural  philosophy.  Mr. 
Harvey  had  also  been  engaged  to  deliver  a  course  of  about  the 
same  number  of  lectures  on  eloquence  and  general  literature. 

The  committee  also  reported  the  assets  of  the  literary  fund,  as 
follows  : 

Thirty  shares  Mechanics'  Bank  stock   $942  .00 

One    hundred    and    eighty-three    shares  High 

School  stock,  3,294.00 

Cash  in  hands  of  treasurer,  1,580  .65 

$5,816.65 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  10th,  1837,  the  following 
were  elected  officers  for  the  ensuing  year : 

Shepherd  Knapp,  President.  Adoniram  Chandler,  Treas. 

Anson  Baker,  Vice-Pres.  James  Van  Norden,  Secretary. 

Cornelius  C.  Jacobus,  2d  V.-Pres.  Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Society  he'd  February  1st,  1837,  the  com- 
mittee on  alterations  of  the  building  on  Crosby  street,  for  lecture 
purposes,  reported  that  a  commodious  lecture-room  had  been  pro- 
vided. A  wing  had  been  erected  on  each  side  of  the  building.  The 
cost  of  the  improvements  amounted  to  $9,845.92. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Society  held  June  7th,  1837,  the  treasurer 
reported  that  he  had  borrowed  of  the  literary  fund  the  sum  of 
$1,200. 

At  the  meeting  held  July  5th,  1837,  the  literary  and  scientific 
committee  reported  that  the  lecture-room  was  opened  on  Monday 


1840] 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


93 


evening,  the  15th  of  January  last.  The  lectures  of  each  course  were 
delivered  on  Monday  and  Thursday  of  each  week  during  the  season 
—  ten  on  natural  philosophy,  by  Professor  Renwick ;  ten  on  English 
and  American  literature,  by  Mr.  Harvey.  There  had  been  four  lectures 
on  miscellaneous  subjects,  by  Colonel  Knapp.  In  addition  to  the 
above,  lectures  were  kindly  given  gratuitously  by  the  following 
gentlemen : 

By  the  Rev.  Dr.  Spring,  on  "The  Importance  of  Industrious 
Habits  to  Young  Men." 

By  Mr.  M.  M.  Noah,  on  "The  Rise,  Progress,  and  Downfall  of 
the  Moorish  Race." 

By  Mr.  Dunkin,  on  "  Phrenology  as  Applicable  to  Education." 

By  Professor  Barber,  on  "  The  Character  and  Writings  of  Lord 
Byron." 

The  whole  course  was  well  attended.  The  expenses  of  the  course 
amounted  to  $943.44. 

The  committee  also  reported  the  literary  and  scientific  fund  as 
follows : 

Cash  on  hand,   $44  .56 

Two  hundred  shares  High  School  stock,  .  .  .  3,200  00 
Thirty  shares  Mechanics'  Bank  stock,  ....  962  .00 
Society  notes,  1,200  00 

$5,406.56 

At  a  meeting  held  September  6th,  1837,  a  committee  was 
appointed  to  prepare  a  history  or  memoir  of  the  Society,  from  its 
foundation. 

At  a  meeting  held  October  4th,  1837,  a  committee  was  appointed 
to  ascertain  the  value  of  Mechanics'  Bank  stock,  and  to  acquire  such 
information  as  might  enable  the  Society  to  judge  of  the  prospective 
value  of  such  stock. 


94 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


At  the  next  meeting,  the  committee  reported  that  there  was 
standing  on  the  books  of  the  Mechanics'  Bank,  in  the  name  of  the 
Society,  one  thousand  shares,  of  the  par  value  of  $25,000.  This 
stock  had  reached  at  one  time  the  market  value  of  one  hundred 
and  thirty-two  per  cent.  ;  but  since  that  period  it  had  fallen,  and 
the  price  had  varied  from  seventy  to  ninety  per  cent.  The  last 
sales  were  reported  at  eighty-eight  per  cent.  But  the  committee  did 
not  consider  that  the  Society  had  cause  for  alarm.  The  committee 
also  reported  the  indebtedness  of  the  Society  to  the  bank  to  be 
$22,000,  with  several  months'  interest.  The  bank  desired  this  loan 
to  be  paid,  though  no  written  notice  to  that  effect  had  been  given. 
A  committee  of  five  members  was  appointed,  with  power  to  dispose 
of  any  number  of  shares  of  the  stock,  not  exceeding  five  hundred,  in 
such  parcels  and  at  such  times  as  they  might  see  fit,  applying  the 
net  proceeds  of  the  sale  to  the  payment  of  the  debt  of  the  Society 
to  the  bank.  After  much  discussion,  this  course  was  sanctioned, 
forty-six  ayes  to  twenty-eight  nays.  The  committee  consisted  of 
Messrs.  Mercein,  Mount,  Parker,  Howe,  and  Clayton. 

It  may  be  noticed  that  the  Mechanics'  Bank  stock  had,  from  the 
first,  been  a  favorite  investment,  paying  large  dividends ;  but  in 
April,  1837,  rumors  prejudicial  to  its  value  had  been  circulated,  and 
it  fell  steadily.  On  the  20th  of  March,  it  sold  at  115;  on  the  24th 
at  1 10;  on  the  27th  at  100;  on  the  1st  of  May  at  95;  on  the  3d 
at  80.  On  the  morning  of  the  4th  of  May,  John  Fleming,  president 
of  the  bank,  died  very  suddenly,  probably  from  extreme  nervous 
excitement,  culminating  in  apoplexy.  This  will  account  for  the  dis- 
cussion and  action  of  the  Society  with  reference  to  the  stock. 

At  a  meeting  held  November  1st,  1837,  the  literary  and  scien- 
tific committee  reported  that  they  had  made  arrangements  for  a 
course  of  lectures  during  the  ensuing  winter,  as  follows: 

Fourteen  or  fifteen  lectures  by  Dr.  John  Torrey,  on  "  Chemistry, 
and  the  Application  of  Science  to  the  Business  of  Life." 


1840] 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


95 


Four  lectures  by  Dr.  Griscom,  on  "The  Mechanism  of  the  Human 
Frame." 

Four  lectures  by  Mr.  Harvey:  on  "True  Greatness";  on  "Moral 
Philosophy";  on  "Eloquence";  on  "The  Romantic  History  of  the 
Crusades." 

At  a  meeting  held  December  1 6th,  1837,  the  library  committee 
reported  the  number  of  volumes  in  the  library  to  be  10,703. 
During  the  year,  1,643  accounts  had  been  opened  with  readers, 
and  35,210  volumes  loaned.  This  showed  an  increase  of  readers 
over  those  of  the  former  year  of  282  ;  and  an  increase  in  the  cir- 
culation of  books  of  5,016  volumes.  The  expenditures  of  the  com- 
mittee amounted  to  $1,144.64. 

At  a  meeting  held  January  3d,  1838,  the  treasurer  presented  his 
annual  report.  He  stated  that  he  had  transferred  to  the  treasurer 
of  the  literary  committee,  S.  Parker,  in  trust,  all  the  money  and 
securities  belonging  to  the  literary  fund — being  $1,200  of  cash 
and  two  hundred  shares  of  the  High  School  stock.  Of  the  literary 
fund,  $2,200  had  been  borrowed. 

The  whole  property  of  the  Society,  real  and  personal,  being 
considered,  it  was  estimated  that  the  income  of  the  Society  for  the 
next  year  would  be,  from  the  Park  Place  building,  $7,350,  and  from 
all  other  sources,  $6,450. 

At  a  meeting  held  January  9th,  1838,  the  following  officers 
were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 

Anson  Baker,  President.  Adoniram  Chandler,  Treas. 

Cornelius  C.  Jacobus,  Vice-Pres.  James  Vax  Norden,  Secretary. 
E.  D.  Comstock,  2d  Vice-Pres.      Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 

The  committee  authorized  to  sell  Mechanics'  Bank  shares  was 
discharged. 

The  almoners  presented  their  annual  report.  The  sum  of 
$2,296.27  had  been  paid  to  ninety  individuals. 


96 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


The  report  of  the  school  committee  states  that  the  total  receipts 
of  the  treasurer  during  the  past  year,  including  $425.91  from  the 
public  school  fund,  were  $11,727.83.    Disbursements,  $9,545.49. 

The  number  of  members'  children  educated  in  the  school  was 
307;  of  other  children,  217.  There  were  162  applicants  for  admis- 
sion, but  it  was  impossible  to  receive  them. 

The  deeds  of  property  belonging  to  the  Society,  and  all  other 
evidences  of  title  and  of  indebtedness  to  the  Society,  were  at  this 
time  lodged  in  the  hands  of  the  treasurer.  A  list  of  these  docu- 
ments was  as  follows  : 

Park  Place  property :  Deed  from  the  rector  and  inhabitants  of 
New- York  to  Richard  Varick,  December  9th,  1800.  Deed  from 
Richard  Varick  and  Maria,  his  wife,  to  the  General  Society  of 
Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New-York,  May  12th, 
1802.  Release  by  William  Gilbert  Miller,  and  Margaret,  his  wife, 
to  the  Society,  July  28th,  1802.  Lease  of  Rachel  Eden  to  the 
Society,  May  1st,  1828.  Deed  from  Rachel  Eden  to  William 
Mandeville,  December  11th,  1829.  Deed  from  William  Mandeville 
to  the  Society,  May  1st,  1830.  Abstract  of  title,  December,  1829. 
Abstract  of  title,  April,  1838.  Crosby  street  property:  Deed 
from  the  High  School  Society,  April  23d,  1833.  Canceled  bond 
and  mortgage  to  B.  S.  Collins,  for  $10,000,  May  3d,  1833.  Abstract 
of  title,  April  4th,  1838.  CJiambcrs  street  property :  Lease  for  the 
Corporation  of  the  City  of  New- York  to  the  Society,  May  11th, 
182 1.  Stock :  Certificate  of  one  thousand  shares  of  Mechanics'  Bank 
stock,  March  27th,  1838. 

At  a  meeting  held  November  7th,  1838,  the  literary  and  scien- 
tific committee  reported  that  arrangements  had  been  made  for  a 
course  of  lectures  before  the  Society  on  Tuesday  evening  of  each 
week  during  the  coming  season,  and  that  the  Rev.  Orville  Dewey 
and  Dr.  John  H.  Griscom  had  been  engaged  as  lecturers. 


1840] 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


97 


The  committee  reported  the  state  of  the  permanent  fund  as 
follows  : 

Mechanics'  Bank  stock,  $962  .40 

Loan  to  the  Society,  2,200.00 

High  School  stock,  valued  at  2,200  00 

$5,362.40 

The  annual  report  of  the  school  committee  stated  the  number 
of  pupils  to  be  289  in  the  male  and  244  in  the  female  department. 
Total,  533.  Large  as  the  school  was,  the  committee  reported  it 
inadequate  to  the  demands  made  upon  it,  every  seat  being  occu- 
pied.   The  financial  condition  of  the  school  was  as  follows: 

Balance  on  hand,  January  2d,  1838,  ....  $2,182  .34 
Received  during  the  year  10,551  .09 

$12,733.43 

Total  disbursement  during  the  year,  ....  11,093.33 

Balance  on  hand  $1,640  10 

Collectable  tuition  bills,   $300.00 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  8th,  1839,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year: 

Cornelius  C.  Jacobus,  President.       Adoniram  Chandler,  Treas. 
Eleutheros  D.  Comstock,  Vice-Pres.  James  Van  Norden,  Sec. 
Samuel  Roome,  2d  Vice-Pres.  Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 

At  the  meeting  held  February  6th,  1839,  the  almoners  reported 
the  number  and  classes  of  pensioners  of  the  Society  as  follows : 

Members,   4 

Widows,   83 

Children  of  pensioners,   63 

Orphans,   3 

Total,  153 


98 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


The  disbursements  to  pensioners  during  the  year  amounted  to 

$2,540. 

The  large  number  of  pensions  paid,  much  larger  than  at  present, 
is  probably  to  be  attributed  to  the  low  initiation  fee,  which  permitted 
the  entrance  of  many  members  of  small  means,  who,  on  dying,  left 
young  and  dependent  families. 

At  a  meeting  held  February  6th,  1839,  the  library  committee 
reported  the  whole  number  of  volumes  in  the  library  to  be  11,161. 
The  number  of  those  who  had  used  the  library  was  1,720 — who 
borrowed  during  the  year  36,870  volumes.  The  appropriation  for 
the  library  amounted  to  $1,200. 

At  a  meeting  held  July  3d,  1839,  the  literary  and  scientific  com- 
mittee reported  that  fifteen  lectures  had,  during  the  season,  been 
delivered  before  the  Society,  as  follows :  five  by  Rev.  Orville  Dewey ; 
four  by  Dr.  John  H.  Griscom ;  two  by  Charles  Duncan  ;  one  by 
John  Keese  ;  two  by  George  C.  Schaeffer. 

The  lectures  by  the  two  gentlemen  last  named  were  gratuitous. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  14th,  1840,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 

Eleutheros  D.  Comstock,  Pres.  Adoniram  Chandler,  Treasurer. 
Samuel  Roome,  Vice-Pres.  James  Van  Norden,  Secretary. 

Linus  W.  Stevens,  2d  Vice-Pres.  Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 

The  almoners  reported  that  there  were  upon  the  pension  list 
three  members,  eighty-four  widows,  with  sixty  children,  and  one 
family  of  orphans.  The  amount  disbursed  during  the  year  by  the 
almoners  was  $2,577.25. 

The  library  committee  reported  11,159  volumes  in  the  library; 
42,037  volumes  loaned;  expenditures  on  the  library,  $1,230.70. 

The  school  committee  presented  their  annual  report,  showing 
279  pupils  in  the  male  department,  of  whom  32  were  non-paying; 


1840] 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


99 


and  240  in  the  female  department,  of  whom  38  were  non-paying. 
The  receipts  were  $10,632.11;  the  expenditures,  $10,638.33. 

The  report  of  the  literary  and  scientific  committee,  presented 
May  6th,  1840,  showed  that  during  the  past  season  twenty-two 
lectures  had  been  delivered  before  their  members  and  their  families, 
and  seventeen  before  the  readers  of  the  library  and  the  pupils  in 
the  schools.  The  expenses  incurred  during  the  season  were  $997-55- 
The  committee  reported  the  literary  fund  to  consist  of : 


The  Society's  note  on  interest,   $4,700.00 

Thirty  shares  Mechanics'  Bank  stock,     .    .    .  962  40 

Cash,   1 3 .84 

Total,  $5,676.24 

The  committee  reported  also  that  they  had  received  from  R.  I. 
Murray,  treasurer : 

Principal  and  interest  on  High  School  stock,    .    .  $2,350 

Society's  note,   1,200 

"          "    1,000 

Loaned  to  the  Society,   1 50 


The  notes  for  $1,200  and  $1,000  had  been  returned  to  the 
treasurer,  and  a  new  note  for  $4,700  given. 

During  the  year,  Ralph  Hoyt  had  been  removed  by  the  school 
committee  from  the  position  of  vice-principal.  He  appealed  to  the 
Society,  and  much  discussion  was  excited  on  the  subject  during 
the  year,  but  the  action  of  the  school  committee  was  finally  sustained. 
The  Society  at  last  settled  with  Mr.  Hoyt  by  paying  him  $100. 

At  a  meeting  held  December  2d,  1840,  the  president  reported 
that  he  had,  in  conjunction  with  the  school  committee,  nominated 
Edward  D.  Stevens,  son  of  Rulof  Stevens,  to  one  of  the  scholar- 
ships granted  by  the  trustees  of  Columbia  College.  It  was  also 
reported  that  Professor  Anthon,  rector  of  the  grammar  school,  had 


IOO 


GENERAL  SOCIETY 


[ 1 83 1  -  1 840 


agreed  to  have  always  six  scholars  from  the  Mechanics'  Society, 
in  a  course  of  successive  preparation  for  college,  free  of  all  charge 
for  tuition,  so  that  the  Society  might  be  enabled  to  avail  itself  of 
the  scholarships  established  in  the  college  for  its  benefit,  in  favor  of 
the  most  meritorious  scholars  from  its  own  school. 

At  a  meeting  held  December  16th,  1840,  the  president  submitted 
a  communication  from  the  Hon.  Theodore  Frelinghuysen,  chancellor 
of  the  University  of  the  City  of  New-York,  announcing  that  the 
Mechanics'  Society  school  would  be  allowed  to  send  two  scholars 
to  the  university  free  of  expense  for  tuition. 


FOPMERLY  WCCHANlGS  HALL    47?  BROADWAY 


VII. 

1841  —  1847- 


CHAPTER  VII. 


PROGRESS    OF    THE  LIBRARY. 

T  the  annual  meeting  held  January  12th,  1841,  the  follow- 
ing officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 

Samuel  Roome,  President.  Adoniram  Chandler,  Treas. 

Linus  W.  Stevens,  Vice-Pres.         Isaac  Fryer,  Secretary. 
James  Van  Norden,  2d  Vice-Pres.  Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 

The  almoners  reported  the  disbursements  for  charity  of  the 
Society  for  the  year  to  have  been  $2,652.07. 

The  annual  report  of  the  school  committee  showed  the  whole 
number  of  pupils  in  the  school  during  the  year  to  have  been  550. 
The  pressure  for  admission  continued  to  be  great,  and  in  some 
instances  it  was  necessary  to  provide  for  the  education  of  candidates 
in  other  schools — the  expense  to  be  defrayed  by  the  committee. 
A  communication  from  Mrs.  Wheaton,  principal  of  the  girls'  school, 
gave  the  interesting  fact  that  there  were  in  the  city  forty  female 
teachers,  employed  in  public  and  other  schools,  who  were  graduates 
from  the  school  of  the  Society. 


104  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [1841 

The  annual  report  of  the  library  committee  stated  that  several  do- 
nations of  valuable  books  had  been  received  from  the  City  Corpora- 
tion, and  that  a  donation'  of  the  London  Monthly  Review,  in  seventy- 
seven  volumes,  had  been  received  from  Messrs.  Bartlett  and  Wellford. 

At  a  meeting  held  April  7th,  1841,  the  death  of  William  Henry 
Harrison,  President  of  the  United  States,  was  announced,  and  ap- 
propriate resolutions  were  passed.  The  Society  voted  to  join  in  the 
funeral  procession  in  a  body,  which  it  did  on  the  appointed  day. 

A  memorial  to  the  State  Legislature  was  adopted,  asking  for  an 
amendment  of  the  charter,  to  enable  the  Society  to  establish  a  sep- 
arate and  permanent  fund  for  the  library.    (  Vide  Appendix  I.) 

The  literary  and  scientific  committee  reported,  July  7th,  1841,  that 
eighteen  lectures  had  been  delivered  during  the  past  season,  the 
expenses  of  the  course  being  $230. 

At  a  meeting  held  January  5th,  1842,  it  was  resolved  that  a 
committee  of  thirteen  be  appointed  to  solicit  contributions  of  money 
for  the  establishment  of  a  permanent  fund,  the  interest  to  be  devoted 
to  the  support  of  the  Apprentices'  Library ;  and  also  to  solicit  dona- 
tions of  books,  maps,  charts,  prints,  etc.,  for  the  use  of  said  library. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  nth,  1842,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 

Linus  W.  Stevens,  President.        Adoniram  Chandler,  Treas. 
James  Van  Norden,  Vice-Pres.      Isaac  Fryer,  Secretary. 
Chivers  Parker,  2d  Vice-Pres.      Robert  Provoost.  Collector. 

The  almoners  reported  the  disbursements  for  the  year  to  have 
been  $2,799.75.  The  reports  of  the  school  committee  and  of  the 
library  committee  showed  both  institutions  to  be  in  a  flourishing 
condition.  The  literary  and  scientific  committee  reported,  May  4th. 
1842,  that  twenty  lectures  had  been  delivered  during  the  past  year. 
The  expenses  were  $551.39.  The  literary  and  scientific  fund 
amounted  to  $6,633.93. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


At  a  meeting  held  August  3d,  1842,  a  communication  was  received 
from  the  New- York  Mechanic  and  Scientific  Institute,  stating  that  its 
charter  expired  January  12th,  1842,  and  offering  to  transfer  its  funds 
to  the  library  fund  of  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Trades- 
men.   The  amount  thus  received  was  $1,086.49. 

On  the  14th  of  October,  1842,  the  Society  participated  in  the 
ceremonies  incident  to  the  introduction  of  Croton  water  into  the  city 
of  New-York. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  10th,  1843,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 

James  Van  Norden,  President.  Richard  E.  Mount,  Treas. 

Chi  vers  Parker,  Vice- Pres.  Isaac  Fryer,  Secretary. 

Jacob  A.  Westervelt,  2d  V.-Pres.     Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 

At  a  meeting  held  February  1st,  1843,  the  almoners  reported 
their  disbursements  for  the  year  at  $2,875. 

The  school  committee  reported  receipts  at  $10,326.25,  and  ex- 
penditures at  $10,576.56. 

The  library  committee  reported  the  number  of  readers  at  1,844, 
to  whom  49,433  volumes  were  loaned.  The  condition  of  the  library 
at  this  time  was  not  progressive.  Books  were  loaned  u  ider  the 
disadvantage  of  a  small  clerical  force.  The  appropriations  for  the 
library  by  the  Society  were  limited  by  the  amount  which  the 
Society  had  to  spare.  The  library  was  not  and  could  not  be  self- 
sustaining  ;  and  the  benevolent  features  of  the  Society  demanded 
the  first  recognition.  During  the  year  1842,  the  receipts  of  the 
Society  were  $6,200,  and  the  expenditures  were  $6,170.  Strict 
economy  was  necessary.  The  assets  of  the  Society,  according  to 
the  report  of  the  treasurer,  December  6th,  1843,  were  $89,080,  and 
its  liabilities  $21,035. 

On  the  3d  of  January,  1844,  a  donation  of  five  hundred  copies 
of  the  New  Testament  was    received  from  William  Wood,  to  be 


106  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [1841 

distributed  among  the  readers  of  the  library.  In  each  copy  the 
following  inscription  was  placed : 

"  Presented,  through  the  Apprentices'  Library,  by  William  Wood, 
Esq.,  of  Canandaigua  —  an  early,  constant,  zealous,  and  efficient  friend 
of  the  library." 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  9th,  1844,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 

Chivers  Parker,  President.  Richard  E.  Mount,  Treas. 

Jacob  A.  Westervelt,  Vice-Pres.       Isaac  Fryer,  Secretary. 
Thomas  C.  Chardavoyne,  2d  V.-Pres.  Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 

The  annual  reports  respecting  the  school  and  library  were  not 
entirely  encouraging.  The  receipts  of  the  school  had  fallen  to 
$8,106.48,  while  the  disbursements  were  $10,512.36.  The  number 
of  pupils  in  both  departments  had  fallen  to  372.  The  school  was 
not  as  cordially  sustained  as  it  had  been.  There  was  a  controversy, 
which  culminated  on  the  7th  of  March,  1843,  in  the  resignation  of 
the  principal,  Isaac  F.  Bragg.  On  the  15th  of  April  following, 
James  N.  McElligott  was  chosen  principal. 

The  almoners  reported  the  disbursements  at  $2,819.75. 

There  was  some  discussion  at  this  time  of  the  expediency  of 
disposing  of  the  Park  Place  property.  A  committee  reported  against 
the  sale ;  but  the  report  was  re-referred,  with  instructions  to  effect 
a  sale  if  $60  ,000  should  be  offered  for  the  estate. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  14th,  1845,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year: 

Jacob  A.  Westervelt,  President.        Richard  E.  Mount,  Treas. 
Thomas  C.  Chardavoyne,  Vice-Pres.  Isaac  Fryer,  Secretary. 
John  P.  Moore,  2d  Vice-Pres.  Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 

The  almoners  reported  their  disbursements  at  $2,857.50. 

At  a  meeting  held  April  2d,  1845,  the  petition  of  William  E. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


Armitage,  asking  a  nomination  to  the  vacant  scholarship  in  Columbia 
College,  was  favorably  considered. 

At  a  meeting  held  March  5th,  1845,  tne  Society  voted  to  sell 
four  hundred  and  forty-four  shares  of  Mechanics'  Bank  stock.  These 
were  subsequently  sold  for  $8,591.40.  Later,  the  treasurer  reported 
that  he  had  paid  this,  with  other  moneys,  amounting  to  $9,000,  to  the 
Savings  Bank,  on  the  bond  outstanding  against  the  Broadway  and 
Park  Place  property.  The  Society  still  retained  five  hundred  and 
fifty-six  shares  of  the  Mechanics'  Bank  stock. 

At  a  meeting  held  June  4th,  1845,  the  bequest  of  his  library 
by  Benjamin  De  Milt  was  accepted,  in  accordance  with  the  provisions 
of  his  will,  "to  be  used  and  improved  as  a  pay  library."  This  library 
was  received  in  September,  1845,  from  George  Trimble,  executor  of 
the  estate  of  Samuel  De  Milt,  to  whom  the  library  had  been  be- 
queathed for  life.  The  number  of  volumes  was  eighteen  hundred 
and  thirty-three.  The  library  committee  was  empowered  to  arrange 
the  books  and  to  carry  out  the  views  of  the  testator. 

At  a  meeting  held  November  5th,  1845,  tne  treasurer  reported 
the  amount  of  the  library  fund  to  be  $1,827.66.  The  receipts  of  the 
Society  for  the  coming  year  were  estimated  at  $5,840.56,  and  the 
expenditures  at  $5,755.00. 

The  property  of  the  Society  was  valued  as  follows : 


Park  Place  house,   $50,000.00 

Chambers  street  house,   14,000.00 

Crosby  street  house,   20,000.00 

Five  hundred  and  fifty-six  shares  of  Mechanics' 
Bank  stock,  at  $18  per  share  and  10  per 

cent,  premium,    11,008.80 

$95,008  .80 

Indebtedness,   13,000  00 

Balance,   $82,008  .80 


108  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [1841 

At  a  special  meeting  held  November  19th,  1845,  the  finance  com- 
mittee reported  that  several  members  of  the  Society  had  purchased 
the  property  at  472^  Broadway,  for  $9,000,  with  a  view  of  offering 
the  same  to  the  Society,  thus  giving  it  an  opportunity  of  gaining 
an  entrance  to  the  Crosby  street  property.  The  purchasers  had 
no  wish  of  forcing  the  property  upon  the  Society,  but  there  had 
been  no  time  for  consultation,  and  they  had  thought  the  oppor- 
tunity too  good  a  one  to  be  lost.  The  Society  agreed  to  take  the 
property,  and  also  thank  the  gentlemen  whose  foresight  had  secured 
it  —  Messrs.  Knapp,  Westervelt,  Moore,  Van  Norden,  Fryer,  and 
Ward. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  13th,  1846,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 

Thomas  C.  Chardavoyne,  Pres.  Richard  E.  Mount,  Treasurer. 
John  P.  Moore,  Vice- Pres.  Isaac  Fryer,  Secretary. 

James  Phyfe,  2d  Vice-Pres.  Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 

At  the  meeting  held  February  4th,  1846,  the  almoners'  report 
showed  a  disbursement  for  the  year  of  $2,966,  to  one  hundred  and 
eleven  pensioners  and  their  children. 

The  school  committee  reported  that,  from  the  best  estimates  which 
they  could  make,  the  school  would  continue  to  pay  all  its  expenses, 
with  a  surplus  remaining. 

The  library  report  showed  the  number  of  volumes  in  the  library 
to  be  11,854;  the  number  of  readers,  1,525;  and  the  number  of 
volumes  loaned,  44,472. 

At  a  meeting  held  November  4th,  1846,  the  school  committee 
reported  the  appointment  of  E.  M.  J.  Rodman  to  the  vacant  scholar- 
ship in  Columbia  College. 

Extensive  alterations  were  made  this  year  of  the  building  in 
Crosby  street,  involving  an  expense  of  over  $4,000. 


r847l  MECHANICS     AND     TRADESMEN.  IO9 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  12th,  1847,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 

John  P.  Moore,  President.  Richard  E.  Mount,  Treas. 

James  Phyfe,  Vice-Pres.  Isaac  Fryer,  Secretary. 

Francis  W.  Edmonds,  2d  Vice-Pres.    Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 

Upon  taking  the  chair,  the  new  president  delivered  an  inaugural 
address,  congratulating  the  Society  upon  its  prosperity,  and  making 
several  suggestions  respecting  the  management  of  its  funds. 

The  annual  report  of  the  almoners  showed  the  number  of  names 
on  the  pension  fund  to  be  114;  and  the  expenditure  for  the  year 
to  be  $2,891. 

At  the  meeting  held  May  19th,  1847,  the  literary  and  scientific 
committee  presented  their  report,  showing  that  lectures  had  been 
delivered  during  the  previous  season  by  Hon.  George  Folsom,  of 
the  State  Senate;  by  Professor  W.  R.  Gliddon,  on  "The  An- 
tiquities of  Egypt";  by  S.  Wells  Williams,  on  "China";  by  Dr. 
Bedford,  on  "Man  Physically  Considered";  and  by  A.  W.  Arring- 
ton,  on  "  Self  Education."  A  subsequent  report  from  the  finance 
committee  showed  that  the  lecture-room  had  been  frequently  leased 
for  entertainments,  and  had  begun  to  be  productive  of  income. 

At  a  meeting  held  September  29th,  1847,  the  Society  accepted 
the  invitation  of  the  Washington  Monument  Association  to  par- 
ticipate in  the  ceremonies  at  the  laying  of  the  corner-stone  of  the 
monument,  on  the  19th  of  October. 

A  letter  from  Hon.  F.  A.  Talmadge,  member  of  Congress, 
informed  the  Society  that  he  had  designated  it  as  the  recipient  of 
the  maps  of  the  coast  of  the  United  States.  The  president  was 
authorized  to  accept  the  donation,  and  to  express  the  thanks  of 
the  Society. 


VIII. 

1848-1853. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


EDUCATIONAL  WORK  OF  THE  SOCIETY. 

T  the  annual  meeting  held  January  nth,  1848,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year: 

James  Phyfe,  President.  Richard  E.  Mount,  Treas. 

Francis  W.  Edmonds,  Vice-Pres.      Isaac  Fryer,  Secretary. 
Sylvanus  S.  Ward,  2d  Vice-Pres.    Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 

At  a  meeting  held  February  2d,  1848,  the  report  of  the  finance 
committee  showed  the  receipts  during  the  past  year  to  haw.  been 
$17,577.97,  and  the  expenditures  $15,077.44. 

Much  discussion  having  arisen  respecting  the  management  of 
the  literary  fund,  a  committee  of  investigation  was  appointed.  Its 
report,  however,  was  not  accepted,  but  the  following  preamble  and 
resolutions,  offered  by  Thomas  Earle,  were  adopted  in  its  place  : 

"  Whereas,  it  appears  from  the  report  of  the  special  committee 
appointed  March  1st,  1848,  that  certain  moneys,  stock,  etc.,  col- 
lected for  the  purpose  of  enabling  this  Society  to  increase  its  use- 
fulness by  furnishing  the  means  of  acquiring  knowledge  to  its 
members,  their  children,  and  the  apprentices  of  this  city,  was,  at  a 
meeting  of  this  Society  held  January  7th,  1835,  voted  into  a  fund, 


ii4 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


[1848 


and  placed  in  the  hands  of  trustees,  and  subsequently  transferred 
to  the  literary  and  scientific  committee  under  the  direction  of  the 
Society,  and 

"  Whereas,  said  fund  amounted,  on  the  first  day  of  January  last, 
to  the  sum  of  $6,774.99,  which  amount  is  composed  of  an  indebted- 
ness to  the  Society  of  $6,036.19  (including  note  of  $4,700,  and  the 
interest  thereon),  thirty  shares  Mechanics'  Bank  stock,  standing  in 
the  name  of  the  committee,  and  $198.80  cash  in  hands  of  said 
committee  ;  and 

"  Whereas,  the  one-third  of  the  initiation  fees  set  apart  by  law 
has  for  some  time  past  been,  and,  as  it  is  supposed,  will  continue 
to  be,  sufficient  to  enable  said  committee  to  carry  out  the  object 
for  which  it  was  appointed ; 

"TJicrefore,  resolved,  that  said  committee  be  directed  to  transfer 
to  the  treasurer  of  the  Society  the  thirty  shares  of  Mechanics'  Bank 
stock,  the  cash  in  hands  of  said  committee,  and  also  the  note  of 
the  Society  ;  and  further, 

"Resolved,  that  the  treasurer  open  an  account  upon  his  books 
with  the  literary  fund,  and  pass  to  its  credit  the  amount  of  said 
fund,  as  above  stated  ;  and  further,  when  any  appropriation  is  made 
to  the  school  committee,  the  library  committee,  or  the  literary  and 
scientific  committee,  exceeding  the  initiation  fees,  and  such  donations 
and  bequests  as  may  hereafter  be  contributed  to  said  fund,  said 
appropriation  shall  be  charged  to  said  fund  until  it  shall  be 
extinguished — it  being  expressly  understood  that  no  interest  shall 
hereafter  be  allowed  upon  said  fund." 

There  was  much  discussion  about  this  time  concerning  the  pro- 
priety of  leasing  the  lecture-room  to  Christy's  Minstrels.  The  lease, 
however,  was  continued  for  a  number  of  years,  and  was  a  constant 
source  of  discussion  and  disagreement,  many  members  regarding 
the  entertainments  of  Christy  with  disfavor. 

At  the  meeting   held  January  3d,    1849,  tne  school  committee 


>853l 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


reported  the  establishment  of  a  classical  department  in  the  school 
of  the  Society. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  9th,  1849,  tne  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 

Francis  W.  Edmonds,  President.      Richard  E.  Mount,  Treas. 

Sylvanus  S.  Ward,  Vice- Pres.        Thomas  Earle,  Secretary. 

Isaac  Fryer,  2d  Vice-Pres.  Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 

At  a  meeting  held  February  7th,  1849,  the  finance  committee 
presented  the  general  annual  report  on  the  financial  condition  of  the 
Society,  by  which  it  appears  there  had  been  received  during  the 
past  year,  from  all  sources,  $20,523.86;  there  had  been  expended 
during  the  same  period,  $17,418.26.  They  also  report  the  assets 
and  liabilities  of  the  Society,  on  January  1st,  1849,  as  follows: 

ASSETS. 

Real  estate.  Park  Place  house,   $60,000  .00 

"         "     Crosby  street  and  Broadway,      .    .    .  40,000.00 

"         "     Leasehold,  Chambers  street,  ....  12,000  .00 

Five  hundred  and  eighty-six  shares  Mechanics'  Bank 

stock,   10,548.00 

Library  books  and  furniture,   9,000.00 

Cash  with  treasurer  and  committees,     .....  2,279.55 

$133.78755 

LIABILITIES. 

Bond  and  mortgage,  Park  Place  house,  $20,000  .00 

"       "          "         472  Broadway,    .  4,000.00 

Due  to  Literary  and  Scientific  Fund,  .  6,774  .94 
Due  to  Literary  and  Scientific  Fund 

for  one-third  initiation  fees,  1848,  360  .00 

Due  to  Library  Fund,   1,857  .66 

"    Mechanics'  Bank,   1,500  00 —  34,492.60 

Balance,  $99>294-95 

At  a  meeting  held  January  2d,  1850,  the  treasurer  presented 
his  annual  report,  showing  the  receipt  during  the  year  of  $12,454.29, 


u6 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


[1848 


and  the  expenditure  of  $13,261.95.  The  last  amount  included  an 
investment  in  city  bonds  of  $1,200. 

The  amount  of  the  literary  fund  was  reported  at  $6,265.02,  and 
of  the  library  fund  at  $1,907.66. 

No  lectures  were  delivered  during  the  year  1849. 

An  amendment  of  the  charter  of  the  Society  passed  June  4th, 
1850,  authorized  it  to  purchase,  hold,  and  convey  "any  estate,  real 
or  personal,  for  the  use  and  benefit  of  said  corporation."  The 
Society  was  also  "authorized  to  take,  receive,  and  hold  any  dona- 
tion, devise,  or  bequest,  either  of  real  or  personal  estate,"  for  the 
general  purposes  of  the  corporation  or  otherwise. 

At  a  meeting  held  June  5th,  1850,  the  literary  and  scientific 
committee  reported  that  six  lectures  had  been  delivered  before  the 
Society  by  Professor  Louis  Agassiz,  on  "The  Natural  Relations 
between  Animals";  one  by  Rev.  Dr.  Bethune,  on  "Holland";  and 
one  by  Dr.  Anticell,  on  "  Chemistry."  The  expenses  of  this  course 
were  $469.75. 

Upon  the  7th  of  August,  1850,  the  Society  was  invited  by  the 
Mayor  of  New-York  to  participate  in  the  relief  of  the  sufferers  by 
the  explosion  of  a  steam-boiler  in  the  building  Nos.  3  and  5  Hague 
street,  by  which  sixty-seven  persons  were  killed,  and  fifty  others 
injured.  A  committee  was  appointed,  which  cooperated  in  the  work 
of  relief.    The  whole  amount  contributed  was  $27,200.66. 

On  the  23d  of  September,  1850,  an  address  was  delivered  before 
the  Society,  upon  the  occasion  of  the  re-opening  of  the  Apprentices' 
Library,  by  M.  M.  Noah,  Esq.    (Vide  Appendix  J.) 

Extensive  alterations  were  made  during  the  year  1850  in  the 
hall.  By  these,  No.  472  Broadway  was  brought  into  use  for  the 
purposes  of  the  De  Milt  Library,  the  reading-room,  and  of  the 
committees.    The  cost  of  these  alterations  was  $5,624.40. 

At  a  meeting  held  December  4th,  1850,  the  election  of  George 
T.  Trimble  as  an  honorary  member  of  the  Society  was  proposed  ; 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


117 


but  after  full  investigation  it  was  decided  that  the  laws  of  the 
Society  did  not  authorize  such  election. 

The  finance  committee,  to  whom  was  referred  the  bequests 
made  by  the  Misses  De  Milt  to  the  Society,  reported  that  of  the 
$10,000  bequeathed  by  Miss  Elizabeth  De  Milt,  according  to  the 
terms  of  the  bequest,  $5,000  should  be  appropriated  to  the  improve- 
ment of  the  De  Milt  Library,  and  the  remainder  used  for  the  general 
purposes  of  the  Society.  They  found,  also,  that  the  whole  sum  of 
$2,000  bequeathed  by  Miss  Sarah  De  Milt  should  be  appropriated 
to  the  improvement  of  the  library.  Resolutions  embodying  these 
views  were  also  reported. 

At  a  meeting  held  January  8th,  1851,  the  annual  report  of  the 
almoners  was  presented,  giving  some  interesting  facts.  It  appeared 
that  the  whole  number  of  adult  pensioners  at  present  was  one 
hundred  and  nine.  Of  these,  one  hundred  and  two  were  widows  of 
deceased  members,  and  seven  were  members  of  the  Society.  The 
number  of  children  on  the  pension  list  was  fifty-five.  There  were 
fourteen  persons  on  the  pension  list  between  the  ages  of  eighty  and 
ninety  years,  and  two  between  the  ages  of  ninety  and  one  hundred 
years. 

The  report  of  the  school  committee  showed  the  receipts  t  1  have 
been  $11,629.75,  and  the  expenditures  $10,901.70.  The  number  of 
pupils  had  been,  in  the  male  department,  two  hundred  and  seventy- 
seven  ;  in  the  female,  two  hundred  and  ninety- three.  There  were 
sixty-four  pupils  whose  education  was  gratuitous.  There  were  nine 
teachers  in  the  male,  and  ten  in  the  female  department.  Four  of 
the  teachers  were  educated  in  the  school.  There  had  been  employed 
professors  of  French,  of  drawing,  of  painting,  and  of  music. 

The  report  of  the  committee  on  the  library  says :  "  We  know 
nothing  more  interesting  than  to  visit  the  library  in  the  evening 
and  find  the  seats  occupied  by  apprentices,  perusing,  after  the  labors 
of  the  day,  periodicals  and  newspapers  with  which  the  tables  are 


u8 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


[1848 


covered,  and  each  retiring  with  his  volume  for  reading  during  the 
leisure  of  the  week." 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  14th,  1851,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year  : 

Isaac  Fryer,  President.  Richard  E.  Mount,  Trcas. 

Henry  T.  Ingalls,  Vice-Pres.        Thomas  Earle,  Secretary. 
John  T.  B.  Maxwell,  2d  Vice-Pres.  Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 

The  lectures  during  the  season  of  1850-51  were  as  follows: 
Rev.  John  Lord,  six  lectures,  on  "  History"  ;  Rev.  W  illiam  Adams, 
D.  D.,  two  lectures,  on  "The  Last  Half-Century";  Rev.  Alexander 
Vinton,  I).  D.,  one  lecture,  on  "Architecture";  Rev.  T.  Starr  King, 
two  lectures,  on  "Thought  and  Life,"  and  on  "Socrates";  and  Pro- 
fessor Lassell,  one  lecture,  on  "  Chemistry." 

At  a  meeting  held  January  10th,  185 1,  measures  were  taken 
for  procuring  the  portraits  of  ex-presidents,  living  and  deceased, 
of  the  Society. 

At  the  meeting  held  February  5th,  185 1,  the  finance  committee 
reported  the  receipts  of  the  Society  during  the  year  at  $35,726.99. 
This  included  the  De  Milt  bequests.  The  expenditures  for  the  year 
were  $30,555.66,  of  which  $5,624.40  was  for  permanent  improve- 
ments. The  assets  of  the  Society  were  reported  at  $144,842.78  — 
the  liabilities  of  all  descriptions,  $38,666.21.  The  amount  of  assets 
over  liabilities  was  $106,176.57.  The  library  fund  was  stated  at 
$1,907.66;  the  literary,  at  $4,758.55. 

At  a  meeting  held  May  7th,  1851,  it  was  resolved  that  thirteen 
delegates  be  appointed  to  attend  the  World's  Fair  in  London, 
with  certificates  of  their  appointment.  The  following  persons  were 
appointed :  William  Browning,  George  D.  Tallman,  James  B.  Ward, 
Edwin  W.  Tryon,  Wm.  Cunningham,  John  Allen,  Jas.  Cunningham, 
George  T.  Cobb.    The  president  was  authorized  to  fill  vacancies. 

At  a  meeting   held  January  7th,    1852,   the  committee  on  the 


MECHANICS      AND  TRADESMEN 


II9 


library  reported  that,  on  a  review  of  the  year,  they  were  enabled 
to  congratulate  the  Society  on  the  continued  usefulness  and  impor- 
tance of  this  branch  of  the  Society.  The  number  of  apprentices 
among  the  readers  had  increased. 

The  lecture  committee  reported  the  following  list  of  lecturers 
engaged  for  the  next  season  : 

Hon.  Horace  Greeley,  "The  World's  Fair";  Rev.  H.  W.  Beecher, 
"Laws  of  Precedence";  Rev.  I.  F.  Schroeder,  D.  D.,  "Mohammed"; 
Charles  King,  "New-York  History";  Rev.  John  Pierpont,  "Physi- 
cal Science";  Professor  Mitchell  (three),  "Astronomy";  Rev.  O. 
Dewey. 

Suggestions  were  made  by  the  literary  committee  of  the  neces- 
sity of  a  new  building  for  the  future  use  of  the  Society,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  removal  of  most  of  the  members,  readers,  and 
scholars  to  localities  farther  up-town. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  13th,  1852,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year  : 

Henry  T.  Ingalls,  President.  Richard  E.  Mount,  Treas. 

John  T.  B.  Maxwell,  Vice-Pres.       Thomas  Earle,  Secretary. 
Thomas  Jeremiah,  2d  Vice-Pres.       Robert  Provoost,  Collector. 

At  a  meeting  held  April  7th,  1852,  a  resolution  was  adopted,  re- 
questing the  library  committee  to  consider  the  expediency  of  opening 
the  Apprentices'  and  De  Milt  libraries  during  the  day,  or  some  portion 
of  the  day,  for  the  accommodation  of  the  families  of  members. 

At  a  meeting  held  June  2d,  1852,  the  thanks  of  the  Society 
were  unanimously  voted  to  the  committee  on  the  schools,  for  the 
efficient  and  intelligent  manner  in  which  their  duties  had  been 
performed. 

At  a  meeting  held  July  7th,  1852,  the  death  of  Brother  Robert 
Provoost,  the  venerable  collector  and  book-keeper  of  the  Society 
for  forty  years,  was  announced,  and  the  event  was  ordered  to  be 


120 


GENERAL  SOCIETY. 


[1848-1853 


entered  upon  the  records.  Mr.  Provoost  was  over  eighty-two  years 
old,  and  was  for  more  than  fifty-nine  years  a  member  of  the  Society. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Society  held  October  6th,  1852,  a  free 
scholarship  in  Columbia  College  was  bestowed  upon  John  Tricksy. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Society  held  January  11th,  1853, 
the  following  officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year  : 

John  T.  B.  Maxwell,  President.    Richard  E.  Mount,  'JVeasurer. 
Thomas  Jeremiah,  Vice-Pres.        Thomas  Earle,  Secretary. 
James  Morris,  2d  Vice-Pres.         Robert  W.  Provoost,  Collector. 

The  literary  and  scientific  committee  reported  the  following 
course  of  lectures  as  then  in  progress  before  the  Society  : 

E.  P.  Whipple,  "Heroism";  Rev.  Samuel  Osgood.  "Poetry  of 
Mechanism";  Professor  R.  O.  Doremus  (two),  "Chemistry";  Rev. 
T.  Starr  King,  "Mountains";  Rev.  E.  H.  Chapin,  "John  Hamp- 
den";  Park  Benjamin,    "Fashion";   Hon.    H.   S.   Raymond,   ; 

Prof.  Silliman,  "  Science  and  Arts." 

At  a  meeting  held  October  5th,  1853,  the  committee  appointed 
December  3d,  185 1,  in  reference  to  the  will  of  James  Murray, 
deceased,  to  secure  the  amount  claimed  for  the  Apprentices'  Library, 
reported  that  a  decision  against  the  Society  had  been  given,  but 
without  costs.  The  thanks  of  the  Society  were  voted  to  Murray 
Hoffman,  Esq.,  for  his  gratuitous  legal  services  in  the  case. 

The  subject  of  the  extension  of  Beekman  street  through  and 
across  the  Park  in  direct  line  to  the  head  of  Park  Place  at  Broad- 
way, and  the  extension  of  Park  Place  through  the  College  grounds, 
and  the  widening  of  Robinson  street,  together  with  the  concession 
of  the  lower  end  of  the  Park  for  a  general  city  railroad  depot,  at 
this  time  interested  the  Society,  whose  real  estate  interests  would 
be  affected  by  the  proposed  change. 

No  immediate  action  was  considered  necessary.  The  Society 
strongly  deprecated  any  infringement  upon  the  limits  of  the  City  Park. 


CHAPTER  IX. 


VARIOUS    FINANCIAL  TRANSACTIONS. 


T  a  meeting  held  January  4th,  1854,  a  report  of  the 
almoners  of  the  Society  represented  the  number  of  pen- 
sioners during  the  year  to  have  been  108,  and  of  children  35. 
The  number  remaining  upon  the  pension  roll  was  as  follows:  1.  embers, 
7;  widows,  94 ;  children,  31.  Amount  expended,  $3,058.  The  extra 
sum  of  $1,000,  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  almoners  during  the 
year,  had  been  bestowed  upon  twenty-four  pensioners,  mostly  in  sums 
of  from  three  to  five  dollars,  and  principally  to  the  aged,  the  sick, 
the  infirm,  and  those  having  young  children  ;  and  also  for  funeral 
expenses.  There  was  a  steady  reduction  in  the  number  of  pen- 
sioners. 

The  school  was  reported  to  be  in  a  prosperous  condition,  Mr. 
David  H.  Crittenden  and  Miss  Mary  Y.  Bean  being  still  retained  as 
principals.    There  had  been  no  essential  change  in  the  arrangements 


124 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


of  the  school.  The  success  of  placing  female  teachers  in  the  boys' 
school  was  ,noted. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  ioth,  1854,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 

Thomas  Jeremiah,  President.      Richard  E.  Mount,  Treasurer. 
James  Morris,  Vice-Prcs.  Wm.  Van  Norden,  Secretary. 

Charles  M.  Leupp,  2d  Vice-Pres.  Frederick  W.  Williams,  Collector. 

The  following  lectures  were  reported  to  be  in  course  of  delivery : 
Rev.  Dr.  Vinton,  "Japan";  Professor  Reed,  "Wit  and  Humor"; 
Hon.  John  P.  Hale,  "Last  Gladiatorial  Exhibition";  Park  Benja- 
min, "Love  and  Money";  Rev.  T.  Starr  King.  "Nature  and 
Society";  Rev.  Dr.  Bethune,  "Work  and  Labor";  Rev.  J.  S.  C. 
Abbott,  "Abdication  of  Napoleon";  C.  L.  Brace,  "Struggles  on 
the  Danube." 

At  a  meeting  held  February  1st,  1854,  the  subject  of  opening  the 
library  from  nine  o'clock  a.  m.,  to  nine  p.  m.  daily  (Sundays  excepted) 
was  again  referred  to  the  library  committee. 

At  a  meeting  held  March  1st,  1854,  the  library  committee,  to 
whom  was  referred  the  subject  of  opening  the  library  during  the 
day,  made  a  long  and  exhaustive  report,  favoring  the  opening 
from  two  o'clock  to  nine  o'clock  p.  m.,  and  recommending  the 
employment  of  a  suitable  custodian  during  that  time.  The  report 
was  signed  by  Ira  Hutchinson,  chairman,  on  behalf  of  the  majority 
of  the  committee.  A  minority  report  held  that  the  library  was 
originally  designed  for  apprentices  exclusively,  and  that  these  could 
use  the  library  only  in  the  evening ;  and  that  it  was  hardly  proper 
to  increase  the  expenses  while  the  Society  was  heavily  in  debt, 
for  the  benefit  of  the  relatives  of  the  pupils  of  the  Mechanics'  School. 
The  course  recommended  by  the  majority  was,  after  considerable 
debate,  adopted.    The    library  was    afterward   opened  daily  (Sun- 


1857]  MECHANICS     AND     TRADESMEN.  I  25 

days  excepted),  from  two  o'clock  to  nine  o'clock  p.  m.  ;  the  friends 
of  a  further  increase  of  the  time  for  opening  were  soon  in  a  majority, 
and  the  library  was  ordered  to  be  kept  open  from  nine  o'clock  a.  u. 
to  nine  o'clock  p.  m. 

A  communication  was  received  from  the  treasurer,  stating  that 
the  Mechanics'  Bank  charter  would  expire  January  ist,  1855.  A 
movement  was  afoot  to  organize  a  new  bank,  under  the  General 
Banking  Law,  with  a  capital  of  $2,000,000 — the  amount  to  be 
divided  into  80,000  shares,  of  $25.00  par  value.  Those  desiring 
to  subscribe  to  this  were  notified  to  do  so  on  or  before  Novem- 
ber ist,  proximo.  It  was  anticipated  that  a  sufficient  surplus  would 
accumulate  by  the  ist  of  January  next  to  supply  the  greater  part 
of  the  stock  increase.  The  shares  then  held  by  the  Society  were 
586  in  number,  valued  at  $18.00  each.  The  Society  could  sub- 
scribe for  no  greater  number  of  new  shares.  The  matter  was 
referred  to  the  finance  committee. 

At  the  meeting  held  October  4th,  1854,  a  special  report  of  the 
finance  committee  recommended  that  the  Society  subscribe  for  the 
new  stock,  and  a  resolution  to  that  effect  was  adopted. 

At  the  same  meeting,  held  October  4th,  1854,  a  select  committee 
was  appointed  to  consider  and  report  upon  the  expediency  01  selling 
the  Park  Place  property,  and  investing  the  proceeds  in  purchasing 
thirty-three  feet  south  and  fifty  feet  north  of  the  present  Broadway 
entrance,  making  one  hundred  feet  on  Broadway  and  two  hundred 
feet  through ;  and  of  erecting  thereon  substantial  stores  for  business, 
preserving  a  more  spacious  entrance  and  a  better  lighted  and  ven- 
tilated lecture-room,  and  also  a  library,  reading,  and  committee  rooms, 
and  more  commodious  school  and  class  rooms. 

At  a  meeting  held  January  3d,  1855,  the  almoners  reported  the 
amount  of  their  expenditure  for  the  past  yea'-  at  $3,258. 

The  library  committee  reported  that  a  full  inventory  of  the  books 


126 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


[1854 


had  been  directed,  in  both  libraries,  and  all  necessary  repairs  ordered. 
The  library  was  closed  for  this  purpose,  and  re-opened  with  seven 
hundred  and  thirty-nine  readers.  The  De  Milt  Library  was  hereafter 
to  be  used  mainly  for  reference. 

The  literary  and  scientific  committee  reported  that  arrangements 
had  been  made  for  lectures  during  the  next  season  by  Rev.  Dr. 
George  W.  Bethune,  Rev.  A.  A.  Willets,  Rev.  T.  Starr  King,  and 
James  T.  Brady,  Esq.  A  second  course  was  reported  to  be  in 
contemplation ;  and  a  course  of  six  lectures  contracted  for  with 
Professor  R.  Ogden  Doremus,  on  chemistry,  for  the  special  benefit 
of  the  apprentices  of  the  city. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  9th,  1855,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 

James  Morris,  President.         Richard  E.  Mount,  Treasurer. 
Charles  M.  Leupp,  Vice-Pres.  William  Van  Norden,  Secretary. 
Thomas  Earle,  2d  Vice-Pres.  Frederick  W.  Williams,  Collector. 

At  a  meeting  held  February  7th,  1855,  the  finance  committee 
made  the  following  statement  of  the  assets  and  liabilities  of  the 
Society  on  the  1st  of  January,  1855: 


receipts. 


"     "  Lecture-room,  .... 
Dividends  from  Mechanics'  Bank, 

Initiations,  

Board  of  Education,  .... 
From  Chambers  street, 

Certificates  

Tuition  bills  from  School, 
Sundries  from  Library,      .    .  . 


Rent  of  Park  Place  house, 


Chambers  street  property, 


$3,600  00 
1,300  00 
6,248.50 
1, 166 . 60 
870  00 

234-67 


15.00 
3.00 
1 2,281  .42 
328.14 


$26,047  33 


i857] 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


127 


EXPENDITU  RES. 

Bond  and  interest  to  Savings  Bank,     .    .    .  $5,625  00 

Ground  rent,  Chambers  street,   125  .00 

Taxes  and  water,   196.44 

Treasurer  and  Clerk,   225  00 

Salaries — School  Committee,   10,480.32 

Expenses — School  Committee,   1,561.70 

Library  Committee,   2,162  .64 

De  Milt  Library,   719  32 

Gas  bills,   787  . 64 

Janitor  and  Door-keeper,   526  04 

Insurance,   248.06 

Repairs,   283.98 

Literary  and  Scientific  Committee,    ....  450 .73 

Almoners' Committee,   3,258.00 

$26,649  ■  87 

ASSETS.  ^y  ' 

Park  Place  house,   $60,000 . 00 

Crosby  street  and  Broadway,   50,000  .00 

Leasehold,  Chambers  street,   7,000  .00 

Five  hundred  and  eighty-six  shares  of  Me- 
chanics' Bank  stock,   14,650  00 

Furniture  and  books,   9,350.00 

Cash  in  hands  of  treasurer,   5,612  .96 

"    "     "      "  committees,   2,347.60 

$148,960.  56 

LIABILITIES. 

Bond  and  Mortgage,  Park  Place,   $10,000  00 

Library  Fund,   1,907  66 

De  Milt,   5,000  .00 

interest,   300.00 

"         "         "       improvement,,.    .    .    .  500  00 

Assessment,  Park  Place  house.   240  .00 

$17,947.66 

Excess  of  assets  over  liabilities,   131,012  .90 


128 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


On  the  ist  of  January,  1854,  the  Mechanics'  Bank  was  a  char- 
tered institution ;  its  stock  held  by  the  Society  was  586  shares,  the 
par  value  of  which  was  $18.00  each,  amounting  in  all  to  the  sum 
of  $10,548.  It  is  now  under  the  General  Banking  Law  of  the 
State,  and  the  par  value  of  the  stock  is  $25.00  per  share,  and  the 
586  shares  held  by  the  Society  amount  to  the  sum  of  $14,650. 
This  difference  of  seven  dollars  per  share  was  from  the  surplus  of 
the  chartered  bank. 

At  a  meeting  held  March  7th,  1855,  the  president  stated  that 
he  had  been  elected  a  director,  and  had  attended  the  meetings  of 
the  board  of  the  Mechanics'  Bank. 

At  a  meeting  held  September  5th,  1855,  the  finance  committee 
reported  that  it  had  received  two  offers  for  the  Park  Place  property 
—  one  of  $125,000,  and  one  of  $130,000;  but  in  the  opinion  of 
the  committee  it  was  inexpedient  to  accept  either. 

At  a  meeting  held  November  7th,  1855,  the  special  committee 
recommended  an  application  to  the  Legislature  to  enable  the  Society 
to  use  its  funds  more  largely  for  the  purpose  of  disseminating 
literary  and  scientific  knowledge,  the  Society  now  having  authority 
to  appropriate  for  that  purpose  only  one-third  of  the  initiation  fees. 
The  literary  and  scientific  committee  reported  only  $160  could  be 
depended  upon  for  this  purpose  to  defray  the  expenses  of  a  course 
of  lectures.  The  treasurer  was  authorized  to  loan  to  the  committee 
a  sum  sufficient  to  raise  the  amount  to  $500. 

At  a  meeting  held  January  2d,  1856,  the  library  committee 
reported  that  the  year  had  been  one  rather  of  preparation  than  of 
progress.  Many  old  and  useless  books  had  been  thrown  out,  and 
new  and  desirable  ones  added,  and  the  whole  had  been  more  con- 
veniently arranged.  A  new  catalogue  had  been  prepared,  upon  a 
different  method.  A  new  and  commodious  reading-room  had  been 
fitted  up  ;  and  through  these  and  like  improvements  the  institution 
promised  to  equal  any  similar  one  in  the  country. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


I29 


The  report  of  the  school  committee  showed  a  diminution  in  the 
number  of  pupils,  in  consequence  of  the  great  improvements  in  the 
public  schools  of  the  city. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  8th,  1856,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 


Charles  M.  Leupp,  President. 
Thomas  Earle,  Vice-Pres. 
Ira  Hutchinson,  2d  Vice-Pres. 


Richard  E.  Mount,  Treasurer. 
William  Van  Norden,  Sec. 
Frederick  W.  Williams,  Col. 


At  a  meeting  held  January  9th,  1856,  the  finance  committee  were 
authorized  and  empowered  to  sell  the  Society's  property  on  the  corner 
of  Broadway  and  Park  Place,  for  a  sum  not  less  than  $150,000,  pro- 
vided a  purchaser  be  found  within  ninety  days.  An  auction  sale 
of  the  same,  the  put-up  price  to  be  $150,000,  was  authorized,  sub- 
ject to  the  unexpired  lease.  This  was  done  on  the  24th  of  January, 
but  no  advance  was  made,  and  the  property  was  withdrawn. 

At  a  meeting  held  February  6th,  1856,  the  report  of  the  finan- 
cial committee  showed  an  excess  of  assets  over  indebtedness  of 
$181,422.84.    The  Society  had  reduced  its  indebtedness  $5,000. 

An  act  of  the  Assembly,  passed  April  1st,  1856,  authorized  the 
Society  to  set  apart,  at  discretion,  any  portion  of  their  funds  f  >r  the 
promotion  and  diffusion  of  literary  and  scientific  knowledge. 

At  a  meeting  held  June  4th,  1856,  a  series  of  architectural  plates, 
ninety-two  in  number,  the  donation  of  Benj.  R.  Winthrop,  were  pre- 
sented. These  plates  had  formerly  belonged  to  a  deceased  brother  of 
Mr.  Winthrop,  who  had  suggested,  while  living,  this  disposition  of  them. 

At  a  meeting  held  November  5th,  1856,  the  committee  to  which 
had  been  referred  the  subject  of  purchasing  a  lot  of  land  whereupon 
to  erect  a  building  for  the  use  of  the  Society,  presented  diagrams 
of  several  pieces  of  land.  The  whole  subject  was  referred  back  to 
the  committee,  with  power  to  purchase  the  plot  on  the  corner  of 
Twenty-fourth  street  and  Broadway.    Negotiations,  however,  failed, 


130 


GENERAL  SOCIETY 


[1854-1857 


and  others  were  entered  into  for  the  purchase  of  lots  470  and  472 
Broadway.  The  report  of  the  committee  on  pensions  stated  the 
number  of  persons  aided  at  ninety-two  adults  and  nineteen  children. 
Expenditures,  $3,236. 

The  library  committee  reported  that,  the  annual  appropriation 
having  been  increased,  a  greater  number  of  books  had  been  pur- 
chased, while  the  number  of  readers  had  been  increased. 

The  school  committee  expressed  their  solicitude  in  relation  to  the 
future  prospects  of  the  school,  in  view  of  the  diminishing  patronage 
of  the  last  few  years,  the  receipts  promising  not  to  equal  the 
expenditures. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  13th,  1857,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year  : 

Thomas  Earle,  President.  Richard  E.  Mount,  Treasurer. 

Ira  Hutchinson,  Vice- Pres.  William  Van  Norden,  See. 

George  W.  Farnham,  2d  V.-Pres.  Frederick  W.  Williams,  Col. 

Some  objections  were  made  to  the  eligibility  of  Mr.  Earle  for 
the  office  of  president,  he  being  a  citizen  of  New  Jersey,  but  they 
were  overruled. 

At  a  meeting  held  February  4th,  1857,  the  finance  committee 
reported  the  assets  over  liabilities  to  be  $217,148.80. 

At  a  meeting  held  February  4th,  1857,  the  president,  Thomas 
Earle,  delivered  an  address  upon  the  situation  and  work  of  the 
Society,  which  was  ordered  to  be  printed.  ( Vide  Appendix.)  So 
much  of  this  address  as  referred  to  the  opening  of  the  apprentices' 
library  to  women  was  referred  to  the  library  committee. 

At  a  meeting  held  November  4th,  1857,  the  school  committee 
was  instructed  to  consider  the  subject  of  the  continuance  of  the 
school,  and  its  future  management. 

At  a  meeting  held  December  2d,  1857,  the  library  committee  made 
a  special  report  respecting  the  death  of  Wm.  Wood.  (  Vide  Appendix  L.) 


CHAPTER  X. 


SCHOOL    AND  LIBRARY. 


T  a  meeting  held  January  6th,  1858,  the  annual  report  of 
the  committee  on    pensions   showed  that   aid   had  been 
extended   during   the  year  to   ninety   adults   and  eleven 
children,  at  an  expenditure  of  $3, 1 79. 

The  school  committee  made  a  report  upon  the  condition  of  the 
school.  From  this  it  appeared  that  the  present  revenue  for  school 
purposes  was  $8,500,  and  the  expenditure  $9,350 — showing  a  deficit 
of  $850.  The  committee  recommended  increased  expenditure  to  raise 
the  character  of  the  school,  and  a  more  appropriate  site.  They  sub- 
mitted a  resolution  that  it  was  inexpedient  to  take  any  present 
action  in  reference  to  the  discontinuance  of  the  school. 

The  report  of  the  literary  and  scientific  committee  showed  that 
ten  lectures  had  been  delivered  before  the  Society  during  the  year, 
as  follows  : 

Rev.  A.  A.  Willetts,  "Man  for  the  Times";  Rev.  T.  Stan- 
King,  "Light  and  Insight";  Rev.  H.  W.  Bellows,  "Architecture"; 
Frederick  S.   Cozzens,   "Wit  and   Humor";   Rev.  A.  A.  Willetts, 


134  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [1858 

"  Patrick  Henry."  Five  lectures  had  also  been  delivered  by  Profes- 
sor Benjamin  Silliman  on  "Air,"  "Water,"  "Earth"  (two),  and  "Fire." 
The  expenditures  were  $720. 17. 

At  a  meeting  held  February  3d,  1858,  the  president,  Ira  M. 
Hutchinson,  delivered  his  inaugural  address  on  the  condition  and 
prospects  of  the  Society.  The  address  was  referred  to  a  special 
committee,  to  consider  and  report  what  action  upon  the  several 
subjects  of  which  it  treated  would  be  necessary.     ( Vide  Appendix.) 

At  a  meeting  held  March  3d,  1858,  the  annual  report  of  the 
finance  committee  was  presented.  It  showed  the  assets  of  the 
Society  to  be  $231,655,  and  its  liabilities  to  be  $219,147.34. 

At  a  meeting  held  March  3d,  1858,  the  report  of  the  special 
committee  on  so  much  of  the  address  as  related  to  the  school  was 
presented.  For  three  years  there  had  been  a  continued  and  rapidly 
increasing  diminution  in  the  number  of  pupils,  viz.  :  38  in  1855  ; 
60  in  1856;  and  132  in  1857.  It  was  impossible  to  diminish  the 
expenses  of  the  school  in  the  same  ratio.  The  committee  in 
summing  up  said  that,  to  educate  118  pupils,  whose  education 
ought  to  have  cost  $1,100,  the  Society  had  paid  in  cash  $1,515.25. 
The  rooms  used  ought  to  let  for  $2,500  a  year;  fixtures  and 
apparatus  have  increased  the  expenses.  In  a  pecuniary  sense,  it 
would  be  far  better  for  the  Society  to  pay  for  the  education 
of  the  pupils  in  the  best  schools  of  the  city.  It  was  broadly  stated 
that  the  mechanics'  school  had  fulfilled  its  mission — that  its  work 
was  done.  The  committee  reported  a  resolution  for  the  discontin- 
uance of  the  school.  A  minority  report  recommended  further  efforts 
to  sustain  the  school. 

At  a  meeting  held  July  12th,  1858,  a  communication  was 
received  from  the  school  committee,  stating  the  probable  number  of 
pupils  at  189,  viz.:  75  boys  and  114  girls.  At  this  rate,  the  revenue, 
it  was  stated,  would  not  exceed  $6,000,  while  the   expenses  for 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


135 


teachers,  reduced  to  the  lowest  possible  point,  would  be  $6,775. 
The  other  expenses  (including-  probable  losses  on  the  collection  of 
bills)  were  estimated  at  $800,  making  a  deficiency  of  revenue 
amounting  to  $1,575.  The  suggestion  was  made  that  the  time  had 
arrived  for  the  Society  to  divest  itself  of  the  work  of  education,  and 
to  revert  to  the  original  designs  of  its  founders  —  the  affording  of 
facilities  for  useful  reading  and  instructive  lectures. 

At  a  meeting  held  November  3d,  1858,  the  literary  and  scientific- 
committee  asked  the  Society  for  an  appropriation  of  $500,  for  the 
purpose  of  instructing  evening  classes  of  apprentices  and  journey- 
men in  architecture  and  mechanical  drawing  ;  and  that  amount  was 
appropriated  for  the  purpose. 

At  a  meeting  held  December  1st,  1858,  the  committee  on  the 
school  presented  a  by  no  means  encouraging  report.  They  repre- 
sented that  the  appropriations  for  the  present  year  would  probably 
fall  short  about  $2,000,  and  they  asked  the  Society  to  decide 
whether  the  school  should  be  discontinued  after  the  close  of  the 
present  academic  year ;  and  a  resolution  to  that  effect  was  passed 
by  fifty-six  votes  in  the  affirmative  to  sixteen  votes  in  the  negative. 
The  use  of  the  rooms  occupied  by  the  female  department  of  the 
school  was  granted  to  Miss  Mary  Y.  Bean,  during  the  pleasure  of 
the  Society,  for  the  purpose  of  continuing,  at  her  own  expense 
and  risk,  and  for  her  own  benefit,  the  school  for  girls,  she  agreeing 
to  make  the  same  deduction  as  at  present  allowed  on  the  bills  of 
the  children  of  the  members  attending  the  school,  and  to  receive 
gratuitously  such  scholars  as  the  Society  might  see  fit  to  send  to 
her  for  instruction.  A  proposition  of  the  same  nature  was  received 
from  the  principal  of  the  male  school,  which  was  referred  to  the 
school  committee. 

The  school  department  of  the  Society  was  established  in  the 
year  1820,  for  the  benefit  of  the  children  of  members  unable  to 


136 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


meet  the  expenses  of  tuition,  and  at  a  time  when  the  free-school 
system  of  New-York  was  undeveloped.  Afterward  it  extended  the 
privileges  of  the  school,  at  a  moderate  cost,  to  other  children.  The 
school  was  usefully  maintained  for  a  period  of  thirty-eight  years, 
and  it  was  only  abandoned  when  the  increasing  merit  of  the  public 
free  schools  rendered  it  unnecessary. 

At  a  meeting  held  January  5th,  1859,  the  literary  and  scientific 
committee  reported  the  following  lectures  as  already  delivered,  or  in 
the  course  of  deliver)-  : 

Rev.  Dr.  Bethune,  "Common  Sense";  D.  G.  Mitchell,  "Spending 
Money";  Rev.  H.  W.  Beecher,  "Sympathy";  A.  Oakey  Hall,  "Courts 
and  Jury-rooms";  Rev.  I.  B.  Hagany,  "Charles  II.";  Rev.  A.  A. 
Willetts,  "Mental  Dyspepsia";  Rev.  Dr.  William  Adams,  "Daily 
Wonders";  Theo.  Sedgwick,  "English  Rule  in  India";  Rev.  T.  Stan- 
King,  "Existence  and  Life";  Rev.  Dr.  John  Thompson,  "Hugh 
Miller";  George  W.  Boyd,  "The  False";  Park  Benjamin,  "Private 
and  Social  Life." 

The  committee  having  under  consideration  the  subject  of  in- 
struction to  young  mechanics  in  architectural  and  machine  drawing 
reported  that  they  had  engaged  Mr.  Stitson  as  teacher  of  the 
former,  and  Mr.  Paton  as  teacher  of  the  latter ;  and  that  the  draw- 
ing-schools were  to  be  opened  on  the  13th  of  January. 

By  the  treasurer's  report  it  appeared  that  $582  had  been  received 
for  tickets  to  the  lectures,  and  the  expenditures  had  been  $819.50. 

The  number  of  volumes  in  the  library  was  reported  to  be  (includ- 
ing the  De  Milt  library)  18,737;  tne  number  of  readers  2,035;  tnc 
number  of  volumes  loaned  during  the  year,  43,351.  The  expendi- 
tures for  the  Apprentices'  Library  were  $2,016.35;  for  the  De  Milt, 
$469.24.  The  committee  recommended  that  more  space  be  secured 
for  the  convenient  arrangement  of  the  books  and  the  accommodation 
of  readers. 


x863l  MECHANICS     AND     TRADESMEN.  I  37 

The  finance  committee  reported  the  receipts  at  $24,005.96,  and 
the  expenditures  at  $20,623.55  ;  the  assets  of  the  Society  at  $259,- 
437.41  ;   and  the  liabilities  at  $7,507.66. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  nth,  1859,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 

George  W.  Farnham,  Pres.      Richard  E.  Mount,  Treasurer. 
John  A.  Bunting,  Vice-Prcs.    William  Van  Norden,  Secretary. 
John  Wight,  2d  Vicc-Pres.       Frederick  W.  Williams,  Collector. 

At  a  meeting  held  March  2d,  1859,  it  was  voted  to  offer  the 
Park  Place  property  of  the  Society  for  sale,  at  a  price  not  less  than 
$175,000.  The  committee  on  finance  were  directed  to  inquire  into 
the  propriety  of  appropriating  not  less  than  ten  per  cent,  of  the 
gross  annual  income  of  the  Society  for  the  purpose  of  purchasing 
a  site,  and  erecting  a  substantial  building  thereon,  for  the  use  of 
the  Society. 

At  a  meeting  held  April  6th,  1859,  it  was  determined  that  the 
finance  committee  be  authorized  to  offer  the  Park  Place  property 
for  a  sum  not  less  than  $150,000. 

One  hundred  dollars  were  voted  as  a  gratuity  to  the  principal 
of  the  male,  *and  a  like  sum  to  the  principal  and  vice-principal  of 
the  female,  school,  both  about  to  be  discontinued. 

At  a  meeting  held  May  4th,  1859,  the  finance  committee  reported 
the  sale  of  the  Park  Place  property  for  $150,000;  of  this  sum 
$100,000  was  to  remain  on  bond  and  mortgage  for  three  years 
at  six  per  cent,  interest,  the  remainder  to  be  paid  in  cash.  The 
president  was  authorized  to  make  the  conveyance. 

At  a  meeting  held  June  1st,  1859,  the  sale  mentioned  in  the 
preceding  minute  was  annulled,  Mr.  Wheeler,  the  purchaser,  fail- 
ing to  comply  with  the  terms  of  the  contract.  The  earnest  money 
paid  by  Mr.  Wheeler  was  ordered  to  be  returned. 


I38  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [1858 

At  a  meeting  held  October  5th,  1859,  a  communication  was 
received  from  Mr.  Charles  J.  Conway,  formerly  principal  of  the 
male  school,  relinquishing,  the  use  of  the  rooms  for  a  private  school, 
which  had  been  voted  to  him. 

At  a  meeting  held  Dec.  7th,  1859,  the  literary  and  scientific  commit- 
tee were  directed  to  consider  the  expediency  of  establishing  an  institute 
for  the  instruction  of  children  and  apprentices  in  science  and  literature. 

At  a  meeting  held  January  10th,  i860,  it  was  voted  that  the 
drawing-classes,  heretofore  under  the  superintendence  of  the  literary 
and  scientific  committee,  be  transferred  to  the  superintendence  of  the 
school  committee.  The  classes  in  question  were  conducted,  during 
the  season,  upon  two  evenings  of  each  week,  and  with  the  most 
satisfactory  results. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  10th,  i860,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 

John  A.  Bunting,  President.     Richard  E.  Mount,  Treasurer. 
John  Wight,  Vice-Pres.  William  Van  Norden,  Secretary. 

Noah  Worrall,  2d  Vice-Pres.  Frederick  W.  Williams,  Collector. 

A  special  committee  upon  the  selection  of  a  site  for  a  building 
for  the  use  of  the  Society  was  appointed,  consisting  of  Messrs. 
George  W.  Farnham,  Robert  McClellan,  and  Jacob  A.  Westervelt. 

The  finance  committee  represented  the  receipts  of  the  Society 
for  the  year  at  $22,175.08,  and  the  expenditures  at  $19,352.94; 
the  assets  at  $262,326.11,  and  the  liabilities  at  $7,574.22. 

At  a  meeting  held  May  2d,  i860,  an  act  to  confirm  the  title  of 
the  Society  to  certain  real  estate,  passed  by  the  Legislature,  April 
1 2th,  i860,  was  reported  to  the  Society.  This  was  in  accordance 
with  the  action  taken  by  the  Society,  February  1st,  i860. 

At  a  meeting  held  July  9th,  i860,  the  death  of  John  A.  Bunting, 
Esq.,  president  of  the  Society,  was  announced.  Appropriate  resolu- 
tions were  passed. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


139 


At  a  meeting  held  September  5th,  i860,  Thomas  Jeremiah  was 
elected  president,  vice  John  A.  Bunting,  deceased. 

At  a  meeting  held  January  2d,  1861,  the  literary  and  scientific 
committee  reported  the  following  lectures  delivered  or  to  be  delivered 
during  the  ensuing  season  : 

Rev.  A.  A.  Willetts,  "Sunshine";  Dr.  J.  G.  Holland,  "Self-Help"; 
Rev.  Dr.  Corningo,  "Rome";  I.  W.  Gerard,  "Japan";  Rev.  G.  S. 
Hare,  "  Beaumarchais ";  Bayard  Taylor,  "Arctic  Regions";  Rev.  Dr. 
Plummer,  "  Resources  of  the  United  States " ;  John  R.  Thompson, 
"Edgar  A.  Poe";  Rev.  Dr.  Southgate,  "Signs  of  the  Times  in 
Turkey";  J.  W.  Gerard,  "Naples,  Mount  Vesuvius  and  Pompeii"; 
Rev.  W.  H.  Pendleton,   ;  Rev.  J.  C.  Dutcher,  "National  Pros- 
perity." 

The  report  of  the  school  committee  showed  that  297  pupils  had 
attended  the  special  schools,  as  follows : 


Architectural  Drawing  Class  73  pupils. 

Mathematical  Class,  54  " 

Mechanical  Drawing  Class,  50  " 

Oratory  and  Debating  Class,   120  " 

Total,  297 


The  cost  of  sustaining  the  classes  had  been  $568.27,  .eaving  a 
balance  in  the  hands  of  the  committee  of  $431.73.  The  committee 
proposed  to  establish  additional  schools  in  other  branches  of  science 
connected  with  mechanics  and  manufactures. 

The  committee  on  the  library  reported  that  nearly  one  thousand 
volumes  had  been  added  to  the  library  during  the  year. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  8th,  1 861,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year  : 

John  Wight,  President.  Richard  E.  Mount,  Treas. 

Noah  Worrall,  Vice-Pres.  William  Van  Norden,  Sec. 

Matthias  Bloodgood,  2d  Vice-Pres.  Frederick  W.  Williams,  Col. 


I 


I40  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [1858 

The  finance  committee  reported  the  receipts  for  the  year  at 
$21,893.98,  and  the  expenditures  at  $19,540.48.  The  assets  of  the 
Society  were  reported  at  $268,060.86,  and  the  liabilities  at  $7,507.66. 

President  John  Wight  delivered  an  inaugural  address.  (Vide 
Appendix.) 

The  Mechanics'  Bank  stock  —  586  shares — heretofore  held  by 
the  Society  was  this  year  increased  to  811  shares. 

At  a  meeting  held  February  6th,  1861,  a  communication  was 
received  from  Miss  Bean,  announcing  her  intention  of  removing  her 
school  to  the  upper  part  of  the  city,  and  of  vacating  the  room 
loaned  her  by  the  Society,  and  stating  her  willingness  to  educate 
the  children  of  members  of  the  Society  at  a  discount  of  twenty-five 
per  cent,  under  the  usual  rates. 

The  use  of  the  library  was  voted  to  female  apprentices,  upon 
the  same  terms  extended  to  male  apprentices. 

At  a  meeting  held  October  2d,  1861,  Brother  George  W.  Farn- 
ham  offered  the  following  resolution,  which  was  very  favorably 
received,  and  adopted  nem.  con.  : 

"  Whereas,  In  the  present  condition  of  our  country  it  becomes 
ever)-  citizen  and  association  to  recognize  and  aid,  to  the  extent 
of  their  ability,  all  efforts  that  are  being  made  to  restore  the 
supremacy  of  the  Constitution  and  laws  of  the  United  States  over 
all  its  territory,  and  to  suppress  the  gigantic  rebellion  which  now 
threatens  its  existence,  and  especially  to  encourage  those  who  go 
forth  to  do  battle  in  its  defense ;  and 

"  Whereas,  A  regiment  has  been  formed  in  our  city  known  as 
the  'Volunteer  Engineer  Regiment,'  which  is  composed  exclusively 
of  mechanics,  some  of  whom  are  members  of  this  Society  ; 

"  Therefore,  Resolved,  That  this  Society,  in  appreciation  of  the 
public  spirit  and  patriotism  which  originated,  and  the  zeal  and 
industry  which  perfected,  the  organization  (now  about  to  take  the 


i863] 


MECHANICS 


AND 


TRADESMEN. 


141 


field)  as  a  regiment  of  volunteers  from -the  State  of  New- York,  from 
which  all  our  chartered  privileges  are  derived,  do  cause  to  be  pre- 
pared and  presented  to  it,  under  the  auspices  of  the  '  General 
Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New-York,'  a 
suitable  stand  of  colors. 

"Resolved,  That  a  sum,  not  to  exceed  three  hundred  dollars,  be 
and  is  hereby  appropriated  from  the  treasury  of  the  Society  for 
that  purpose. 

"Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  three  be  appointed  to  carry 
the  foregoing  resolutions  into  effect,  and  that  they,  together  with 
the  president  and  two  vice-presidents  of  the  Society,  be  a  committee 
to  superintend  the  necessary  arrangements  for  such  presentation." 

The  president  appointed  George  W.  Farnham,  James  Van  Nor- 
den,  and  Linus  W.  Stevens  as  such  committee. 

At  a  meeting  held  January  8th,  1862,  the  annual  report  of  the 
committee  on  pensions  showed  that  relief  had  been  extended  during 
the  past  year  to  eighty-eight  adults  and  six  children.  The  sum  of 
$4,129  had  been  expended. 

The  school  committee  reported  the  number  of  pupils  during  the 
past  year  as  follows  : 

Free-hand  class,   169  pupils. 

Architecture,   106  " 

Mechanics,  .   73  " 


The  literary  and  scientific  committee  reported  the  following 
lectures  delivered  or  to  be  delivered : 

Rev.  A.  A.  Willetts,  "  Business  and  Books" ;  Rev.  W.  H.  Mil- 
burn,  "What  a  Blind  Man  Saw  in  England";  Bishop  Southgate, 
"Home  Life  of  the  Turks";  James  Wi  Gerard,  "Ancient  and  Modern 


Total, 


348 


The  expenditures  were  $903.87. 


142 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


Eloquence";  James  W.  Gerard,  "Rome  and  its  Ruins";  Rev.  G. 
S.   Hare,    "Milton";   J.   G.   Holland,   "Working   and  Shirking"; 

Rev.  F.  C.  Ewer.   ;  Rev.  A.   A.  Willetts,   "The   Man   for  the 

Times";  Rev.  Dr.  Armitage,  "The  Forum  of  Progress." 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  14th,  1862,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 

Noah  Worrall,  President.  Richard  E.  Mount,  Treas. 

Matthias  Bloodgood,  Vice-Pires.    William  Van  Norden,  Sec. 
George  R.  Jackson,  2d  Vice-Pres.    Frederick  W.  Williams,  Col. 

President  Noah  Worrall  delivered  his  inaugural  address.  ( Vide 
Appendix.) 

The  finance  committee  reported  the  receipts  of  the  Society  at 
$21,391.30,  and  the  expenditures  at  $23,858.75  ;  the  assets  at 
$276,138.39,  and  the  liabilities  at  $8,052.64. 

The  committee  on  the  battle-flags  to  be  presented  by  the  Society 
to  the  "  Engineer  Regiment  of  Volunteers  "  made  their  report. 

The  following  was  the  account  given  of  the  presentation  : 

"The  flags  were  presented  on  the  23d  of  January,  at  the  Seventh 
Regiment  armory,  by  the  president  of  the  Society,  and  were  received 
by  Major  Butts,  in  behalf  of  Colonel  Serrell  and  the  regiment,  in  a 
brief  and  soldier-like  response.  The  band  of  the  Seventh  Regiment 
discoursed  most  excellent  music.  The  exercises  were  closed  by  an 
appropriate  and  fervent  prayer  and  benediction  by  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Francis  Vinton.  The  committee  presented  the  following  resolutions, 
which  were  adopted  by  the  Society  : 

"  It  was  Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  the  Society  be  and  are 
hereby  presented  to  the  Hon.  William  M.  Evarts  for  his  able,  appro- 
priate, and  patriotic  address,  delivered  on  the  23d  of  January,  on 
presentation  of  battle-flags  to  the  'Volunteer  Engineer  Regiment,' 
and  a  copy  of  the  same  is  respectfully  requested. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


143 


"  It  was  Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  the  Society  be  and  arc 
hereby  tendered  to  Brother  Joseph  Hoxie  for  his  most  acceptable 
and  spirited  speech,  delivered  on  the  23d  of  January,  on  the  pres- 
entation of  battle-flags  to  the  '  Volunteer  Engineer  Regiment,'  and 
a  copy  of  the  same  is  respectfully  requested. 

"  It  was  Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  the  Society  be  and  are 
hereby  tendered  to  Rev  Francis  Vinton,  D.  D.,  for  his  kind  offices 
with  and  for  us,  on  the  23d  of  January  last,  on  the  presentation  of 
the  battle-flags  to  the  'Volunteer  Engineer  Regiment,'  and  the 
Society  respectfully  ask  a  copy  of  the  very  appropriate  prayer  made 
by  him  on  that  occasion. 

"It  was  Resolved,  That  the  Society  hereby  tender  their  thanks 
to  Colonel  Marshal  Lefferts,  of  the  Seventh  Regiment,  N.  G.,  for 
his  kindness  in  granting  to  the  Society  the  use  of  their  armory  for 
the  purpose  of  presentation  of  battle-flags  to  the  '  Volunteer  Engi- 
neer Regiment'  on  the  23d  ult." 

At  a  meeting  held  April  2d,  1862,  a  communication  was  received 
from  Hon.  William  M.  Evarts,  stating  that  his  address  upon  the 
occasion  of  the  presentation  of  the  flags  was  entirely  extempore,  and 
he  was,  therefore,  unable  to  furnish  a  copy  for  the  press. 

Letters  were  also  received  from  Rev.  Dr.  Vinton,  communicating 
the  prayer  offered  by  him,  and  from  Hon.  Joseph  Hoxie  and  Colonel 
E.  W.  Serrell.    ( Vide  Appendix  L.) 

At  a  meeting  held  January  7th,  1863,  the  annual  report  of  the 
committee  on  pensions  showed  the  number  of  persons  relieved 
during  the  year  to  be  eighty-eight  adults  and  children,  at  an 
expenditure  of  $4,275.60. 

The  annual  report  of  the  school  committee  showed  that  there 
were  four  different  kinds  of  drawing  taught  in  the  schools,  viz.  : 
architectural  with  76  pupils;  mechanical  with  92  pupils;  free-hand 
with    156  pupils,    and    naval    architecture  with    72    pupils.  Total 


144 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


[1858 


number  of  pupils  396,  as  follows  :  carvers,  painters,  etc.,  99  ;  machin- 
ists, 56;  pattern-makers,  16;  brass-finishers,  26;  carpenters,  60; 
ship-Wrights,  35;  ship-carpenters,  27;  students,  60 ;  clerks,  17.  The 
expenditures  were  $91  1.77. 

It  was  recommended  that  the  school,  heretofore  gratuitous, 
should  be  made  at  least  partially  self-sustaining.  It  was  thought 
that  there  were  many  branches  which  might  be  added,  and  particu- 
larly "  industrial  chemistry." 

The  annual  report  of  the  library  committee  showed  the  number 
of  volumes  in  the  Apprentices'  Library  to  be  21,848;  in  the  De  Milt, 
3,516.  Total,  25,364.  The  number  of  readers  had  been  2,982;  of 
volumes  loaned  to  apprentices,  48,888;  to  females,  3,274;  to  pay- 

A 

readers,  5,847  ;  to  members,  3,157.  The  expenditures  were  $3,731.56. 
It  was  mentioned  in  the  report  that  no  inconvenience  had  been 
experienced  from  admitting  females  to  the  library  at  the  same 
hours  as  formerly.  The  privileges  of  the  library  and  reading-room 
had  also  been  extended  to  wounded  soldiers  and  seamen  of  the 
army  and  navy. 

The  literary  and  scientific  committee  reported  that  the  following- 
lectures  had  been  delivered  : 

Rev.  A.  A.  Willetts,  "The  Spirit  of  the  Times";  James  W. 
Gerard,  "Venice";  Rev.  T.  D.  Anderson,  "Work,  the  American 
Inheritance";   Rt.-Rev.  T.  M.  Clark,  "The  Crisis  of  the  Nation." 

The  thanks  of  the  Society  were  voted  to  James  \Y.  Gerard, 
Esq.,  for  the  gratuitous  delivery  of  his  lecture. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  13th.  1863,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 

Matthias  Bloodgood,  President.  Richard  E.  Mount,  Treasurer. 
George  R.  Jackson,  Vice-Pres.     William  Van  Norden,  See. 
George  F.  Nesbitt,  2d  Vice-Pres.  Frederick  W.  Williams,  Col. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


H5 


Matthias  Bloodgood,  Esq.,  the  newly  elected  president,  delivered 
his  inaugural  address  and  gave  an  intelligent  and  interesting  resume 
of  the  history  and  operations  of  the  Society.    ( Vide  Appendix.) 

The  finance  committee  reported  the  receipts  of  the  Society  at 
$21,517.48;  the  expenditures  at  $17,060.07;  the  assets  at  $279,- 
149.88,  and  the  liabilities  at  $7,706.65;  assets  over  liabilities, 
$271,443.23. 

During  the  year  1863,  the  Society  lost  by  death  several  promi- 
nent and  valuable  members.  Among  them  was  George  Ireland, 
ex-president,  and  one  of  the  oldest  members ;  Linus  W.  Stevens, 
also  an  ex-president,  and  Robert  McClellan. 

The  improvements  ^in  the  accommodation  of  the  library  had  been 
considerable.  The  general  condition  of  the  Society  at  this  period 
was  one  of  great  prosperity,  notwithstanding  the  civil  war,  which 
was  then  at  its  height ;  and  the  Society  was  always  found,  without 
a  dissenting  voice,  doing  its  share  in  the  work  of  saving  the 
republic. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


DURING    THE  WAR. 

T  a  meeting  held  January  6th,   1864,  the  annual  report  of 
the  committee  on  pensions  showed  the  number  aided  during 
the  year  to  be  93  adults  and  9  children,  at  an  expenditure 
of  $4,512.60. 

The  number  of  pupils  in  the  drawing-school  was  reported  to 
have  been  367;  the  expenditures  had  been  $1,051.98. 

A  debating  class  of  62  members  had  been  established. 

The  annual  report  of  the  library  committee  showed  the  number 
of  books  in  the  Apprentices'  Library  to  be  23,572;  in  the  De  Milt 
Library,  3,706;  total,  31,278.  The  number  of  readers  was  4,302; 
of  volumes  loaned,  70,863. 

The  library  was  closed  this  year  one  month  earlier  than  usual, 
which  would  make  a  difference  in  number  of  volumes  read,  but  still 
it  was  9,697  more  than  in  any  previous  year. 

The  expenditures  of  Apprentices'  Library  were  $5,216.22,  less 
$1,285.26  for  pay-readers  and  catalogues,  etc. 

The  literary  and  scientific  committee  reported  that  the  following 
lectures  had  been  delivered  : 

Rt.-Rev.  T.  M.  Clark,  "Inventions  of  the  Age";  Dr.  J.  G.  Hol- 
land, "The  National  Heart";  Rev.  E.  H.  Chapin,  "Europe  and 
America";   Rev.  A.  A.  Willetts,  "The  Secret";  Rev.  H.   I.  Foss, 


150  GENERAL     SOCIETY      OF  [1864 

"Aims   and    Ventures";    Rev.   I.   C.   Dutcher,   "Grandfathers  and 
Grandchildren";  and  that  the  course  would  be  completed  by  the 
delivery  of   two  more  — the  last  of  which  will  be  by  James  W. 
Gerard,  Esq.,  on  "  Egypt  and  the  Source  of  the  Nile." 
The  expenditures  were  $991.62. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  12th,  1864,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 

George  R.  Jackson,  President.    Richard  E.  Mount,  Treasurer. 
George  F.  Nesbitt,  Vicc-Pres.    William  Van  Nordex,  Secretary. 
John  T.  Coxover,  2d  Vice-Prcs.  Frederick  W.  Williams,  Col. 

The  president  delivered  his  inaugural  address.    (  Vide  Appendix.) 

At  a  meeting  held  February  3d,  1864,  the  finance  committee 
reported  the  receipts  for  the  past  year  to  have  been  $24,937.59, 
and  the  expenditures  $30,341.47.  The  excess  of  expenditures  over 
receipts  was  occasioned  by  the  purchase  of  a  U.  S.  5-20  bond  for 
$8,003.15.  The  assets  of  the  Society  were  $284,355.61,  and  the 
liabilities  were  $8,216.36.    Assets  over  liabilities,  $276,139.25. 

At  a  meeting  held  March  2d,  1864,  the  Society  voted  a  donation 
of  $250  in  aid  of  the  Metropolitan  Fair  for  the  benefit  of  the 
Sanitary  Commission. 

At  a  meeting  held  January  4th,  1865,  the  report  of  the  pension 
committee  showed  that  aid  had  been  extended  during  the  year  to 
92  adults  and  9  children,  at  an  expenditure  of  $4,954.40. 

The  number  of  pupils  in  the  drawing-school  had  been  312;  in 
the  debating  society,  40.    The  expenditures  had  been  $1,203.67. 

The  number  of  volumes  in  the  library  were  reported  as  follows  : 
The  Apprentices'  Library.  26,328;  in  the  De  Milt,  3,755;  number 
of  readers,  6,053  ;  number  of  volumes  loaned,  109,875;  expenditures, 
$6,050.30.  For  fines  and  catalogues,  and  from  pay-readers,  the 
sum  of  $1,834.17  had  been  received. 


,870]  MECHANICS     AND     TRADESMEN,  151 

Mr.  De  Lamater,  from  the  committee,  made  a  report  setting 
forth  that  the  number  of  readers  was  increasing  faster  in  proportion 
than  the  number  of  volumes  in  the  -libraries.  The  cost  of  books 
had  also  greatly  increased,  while  a  new  catalogue  had  become 
necessary.  The  committee  asked  for  an  appropriation  of  $8,000  to 
meet  the  exigencies  of  the  coming  year. 

The  annual  report  of  the  literary  and  scientific  committee  showed 
a  course  of  lectures  in  progress,  of  which  the  following  had  been 
delivered  : 

Rt.-Rev.  T.  M.  Clark,  "Life  in  Boston  in  1668";  Rev.  Dr. 
Priestly,  "Jerusalem  as  I  saw  it";  Rev.  F.  C.  Ewer,  "Ramble  in 
California." 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  10th,  1865,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 

George  F.  Nesbitt,  President.    Richard  E.  Mount,  Treasurer. 
John  T.  Conover,  Vice-Pres.       William  Van  Norden,  Secretary. 
Wade  B.  Worrall,  2d  Vice-Pres.  Frederick  W.  Williams,  Col. 

The  finance  committee  reported  the  receipts  of  the  Society  at 
$29,263.07  ;  the  expenditures  at  $26,427.59  ;  the  assets,  $295,966.62, 
and  the  liabilities  at  $10,091.89. 

At  a  meeting  held  April  5th,  1865,  on  motion  of  Brother  Wilson 
Small,  seconded  by  Brother  John  E.  Hoagland,  the  thanks  of  the 
Society  were  voted  to  the  army  and  navy  of  the  United  States  for 
the  glorious  victories  recently  achieved  by  their  gallantry  and  skill. 
It  was  voted  that  the  following  address  and  proceedings  be  published  : 

The  undersigned,  officers  of  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Trades- 
men of  the  City  of  New- York,  in  carrying  out  the  foregoing  resolution,  beg 
leave  to  tender  to  the  officers  and  men  of  the  army  and  navy  of  the  United 
States  the  heartfelt  thanks  of  each  member  of  the  Society,  for  their  patience  and 
endurance  during  the  long  struggle  they  have  been  engaged  in  to  subdue  the 
greatest  rebellion  the  world  has  ever  known,  and  which  is  now  about  closed. 


152  GENERAL     SOCIETY      OF  [1864 

The  members  of  the  Society  also  beg  leave  to  join  with  the  officers  and  men 
of  the  army  and  navy  of  the  United  States  in  rejoicing  over  the  victories  they 
have  achieved  on  land  and  at  sea,  and  particularly  those  last  battles  which  may 
well  be  styled  the  death-blows  of  the  Rebellion. 

The  members  of  the  Society  beg  leave  also  to  tender  their  sympathies  to  the 
many  families  who  have  been  bereaved  by  the  loss  or  maiming  of  husband, 
father,  son,  brother,  or  friend  during  the  great  Rebellion,  and  to  say  to  all  such 
that  the  honor  of  being  connected  with  either  must,  in  such  a  cause,  compensate 
to  a  certain  extent  for  their  bereavement. 

Tiie  officers  of  the  Society  beg  leave  to  inform  the  officers  and  men  of  the 
army  and  navy  that  the  resolution  referred  to  above  was  unanimously  adopted, 
at  a  meeting  more  numerously  attended  than  any  other  for  years  ;  that  the 
resolution  was  introduced  by  the  mover  in  a  speech  replete  with  patriotism  and 
eloquence ;  and  that  the  patriotic  remarks  by  various  members  fully  entitle  the 
Society  to  a  position  in  the  front  rank  of  the  upholders  of  the  Constitution  and 
laws  of  our  beloved  country. 

The  officers  of  the  Society  beg  leave  respectfully  to  call  attention  to  the 
following  correspondence,  as  indicating  that  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics 
and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New- York  are  not  only  patriots  at  the  close  of 
the  Rebellion,  but  that  they  performed  their  part  when  the  struggle  began  and 
during  its  continuance: 

Camp  of  ist  N.  Y.  Vol.  Engineers, 

Head-quarters  Army  of  the  James, 

Varina,  Va.,  March  27th,  1865. 

Geo.  W.  Farnham,  Esq.,  Mechanics  Society,  N.  Y.  : 

SIR:  As  you  were  chairman  of  the  committee  who  presented  to  my  regiment 
a  stand  of  colors,  on  behalf  of  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen 
of  the  City  of  New- York,  when  we  were  organized  in  1 861,  I  have  taken  the 
liberty  to  ask,  through  you,  that  the  Society  present,  on  behalf  of  the  regiment, 
the  national  color  of  this  set,  and  a  regimental  color  presented  by  the  city 
of  New- York,  to  the  Bureau  of  Military  Statistics  at  Albany,  New-York. 

I  inclose  a  letter  addressed  to  Col.  Lockwood  L.  Doty,  Chief  of  the  Bureau, 
giving  the  several  battles  and  sieges  in  which  we  have  been  engaged. 

The  national  color  which  we  are  sending  to  the  archives  of  the  State  has  not 
been  dishonored  since  you  entrusted  it  to  our  care.  It  was  the  first  flag  that 
floated  over  Fort  Pulaski  after  its  recapture  by  the  Union  troops,  and  the 
first  national  flag  that  floated  over  Fort  Wagner. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


153 


The  number  of  engagements  in  which  detachments  of  the  regiment  have 
taken  part  will  show  you  that  we  have  not  been  idle  spectators  in  the  great 
struggle.  We  represent  almost  every  trade,  and  I  believe  the  mechanical  skill 
we  have  been  able  to  bring  together  has  ad'ded  much  to  the  efficiency  of  the 
army. 

We  have  to  lament  the  loss  of  many  good  officers  and  men,  whose  names 
will  ever  be  dear  to  us.  Captain  H.  L.  Southard,  killed  at  Bermuda  Hundred, 
was  son  of  Hon.  S.  L.  Southard,  late  Secretary  of  the  Navy.  He  was  as  true 
and  pure  a  patriot  as  this  war  has  produced.  He  was  an  officer  of  much  more 
than  ordinary  talent,  and  was  greatly  beloved  by  all  good  men.  Lieutenant  J. 
Howard  Brooks,  killed  in  front  of  Petersburg,  was  a  young  man  of  great 
promise,  and  although  he  had  been  with  us  only  a  few  weeks,  yet  he  had,  by 
his  manly  bearing  and  talent,  won  his  way  to  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  all. 
I  might  name  many  other  brave  hearts  who  have  given  themselves  a  sacrifice 
in  our  cause,  and  over  whom  your  flag  has  waved,  and  over  whose  remains 
it  has  rested. 

The  flag  has  now  become  a  veteran,  worn  out  in  the  service,  and  unfit  for 
duty  in  the  field  ;  and  we  return  it,  to  take  its  place  with  others  honored  by 
service  with  our  brothers  of  the  State  of  New- York. 

The  regimental  color  presented  by  you  we  still  retain  in  the  field,  and  we 
hope  to  bring  it  back  for  your  disposition,  after  peace  lias  been  restored  to 
our  land,  and  we  are  permitted  to  go  back  to  our  homes  and  vocations  of  life. 

I  am  very  truly  your  ob't  serv't  and  brother, 

James  F.  Hall, 
Brt.  Brig.  -  Genl. ,  U.  S.  Vols. ,  Col.  Conulg.  1st  N.  Y.  Vol.  Engineers. 


Camp  of  ist  N.  Y.  Vol.  Engineers, 

Head-quarters  Army  of  the  James, 

Varina,  Va.,  March  27th,  1865. 

Colonel  Lockwood  L.  Doty, 

Chief  of  Bureau  of  Military  Statistics,  Albany,  N.  Y: 

COLONEL:  I  have  this  day  forwarded  by  Adams  &  Co.'s  Express,  through 
the  Mechanics'  Society,  city  of  New-York,  two  flags  of  my  regiment,  one  an 
American  flag — one  of  a  stand  of  colors  presented  to  the  regiment  by  the 
General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New-York,  and 
the  other  a  regimental  color  presented  by  the  city  of  New-York.    The  former 


154 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


was  the  first  national  flag  that  floated  over  Fort  Pulaski,  after  its  surrender, 
and  the  first  over  Fort  Wagner,  on  Morris  Island. 

This  regiment  was  raised  in  the  city  of  New- York,  in  1861,  and  has 
representatives  from  almost  every  county  in  the  State. 

The  several  battalions  of  the  regiment  have  participated  in  the  following 
sieges  and  battles  : 

Siege  of  Fort  Pulaski,  battle  of  James  Island,  battle  of  Pocotaligo,  battle 
of  Morris  Island,  siege  of  Fort  Wagner,  Fort  Sumter,  and  Charleston  ; 
battle  of  Olustec,  siege  of  Petersburg,  battle  of  Drury's  Bluff,  battle  of  Proctor's 
Creek,  battles  of  Bermuda  Hundred,  battle  of  the  James,  battle  of  Honey  Hill, 
battle  of  Coosawhatchie. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  very  respectfully,  your  ob't  servant, 

James  F.  Hall, 
Brt.  Brig.- Gen.  U.  S.  Vols.,  Col.  Comdg.  1st  N.  Y.  Engrs. 

Brother  James  Van  Norden,  after  some  remarks,  moved  the  following  reso- 
lutions, which  were  seconded  by  Brother  George  W.  Farnham,  and  unanimously 
adopted : 

Resolved,  That  this  Society  will  gladly  comply  with  the  request  of 
our  esteemed  brother,  General  James  F.  Hall,  and  that  it  be  referred  to  the 
president  to  take  charge  of  the  glorious  relics,  and  forward  them  to  Colonel 
Doty,  at  Albany,  with  such  communication  as  he  may  deem  appropriate  and 

proper. 

Resolved,  That,  viewing  with  exultant  pride  the  gallant  manner  in  which 
the  flags  presented  by  this  Society  to  the  First  Regiment  of  New- York  Volun- 
teer Engineers  have  been  borne  through  so  many  battles,  and  planted  first 
on  captured  forts,  we  tender  to  Brevet  Brigadier-General  Hall,  and  the  brave 
officers  and  men  of  his  command,  the  thanks  of  the  General  Society  of 
Mechanics  and  Tradesmen,  as  they  are  eminently  entitled  to  those  of  our 
whole  country. 

Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  forwarded  to  General  Hall. 

George  F.  Nesbitt,  President. 
John  T.  Conover,  rst  Vice-President. 
Wade  B.  Worrall,  2d  Vice-President. 

Richard  E.  Mount,  Treasurer. 
William  Van  Norden,  Secretary. 

At  a  meeting  held  May  3d,  1865,  a  committee  was  appointed 
to  consider   and  report  concerning    the  true   interpretation  of  the 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


155 


charter  relative  to  the  admission  of  those  not  residing  in  the  city 
and  county  of  New-York.  The  question  was  whether  the  omission 
of  certain  words  in  the  act  of  1833  repealed  the  provisions  of  the 
act  of  181 1,  requiring  that  candidates  for  membership  shall  be  so 
resident.  The  committee  subsequently  reported  that  they  had  taken 
legal  advice  on  that  point  of  the  Hon.  Murray  Hoffman,  who  was 
of  the  opinion  that  the  act  of  1833  worked  by  implication  a  repeal 
of  all  previous  enactments  upon  the  subject,  and  that  consequently 
a  residence  within  the  city  and  county  of  New-York  was  not 
required.  Other  legal  gentlemen  concurred  in  this  opinion.  The 
report  was  accepted,  and  a  resolution  adopting  its  suggestions  was 
carried,  declaring  that  such  residence  was  not  necessary. 

The  following  letter  was  received  from  Brevet  General  Hall  : 

Head-quarters,  near  Richmond, 

Camp  Southard,  May  16th,  1865. 

Geo.  F.  Nesbitt,  Esq.,  President. 

My  Dear  Brother  :  I  received  some  days  since  your  favor  of  the  1st  inst, 
inclosing  the  resolutions  of  the  Society ;  the  package  of  books  arrived  on 
Saturday,  and  on  Sunday  the  resolutions  were  read  on  dress  parade.  The 
officers  and  men  of  the  First  Engineer  Regiment  feel  a  great  pride  in  the 
interest  taken  in  us  by  your  Society.  The  beautiful  regimental  color  which  you 
presented  us  is  still  a  daily  object  of  admiration,  and  as  we  can  now  add  to  its 
previous  history  the  final  battles  of  the  Rebellion, —  Petersburg,  Richmond,  and 
Appomattox  Court  House, —  is  doubly  dear  to  us,  and  I  know  it  will  be  to  you 
when  we  return  it  to  your  custody  after  our  united  country  has  told  us  that  our 
work  is  done,  and  that  we  may  go  back  to  our  homes  and  peaceful  vocations. 
In  the  name  of  my  regiment  and  myself,  I  thank  you  for  your  attention  to  our 
request,  and  for  the  resolutions  you  have  passed.  Hoping  it  soon  may  be  my 
good  fortune  to  meet  you  and  all  my  brothers  of  the  Society  in  peace  and  unity, 

I  am  fraternally  yours, 

James  F.  Hall, 

Bt.  Gen.  U.  S.  Volunteers. 

It  was  resolved  that  a  committee  of  five  be  appointed  to  arrange, 
on  behalf  of  the  Society,  for  the  reception  of  the  First  N.  Y.  Volun- 


I56  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [1864 

teer  Engineer  Regiment  upon  its  return  to  the  city,  and  an  appro- 
priation for  the  expenses  of  the  reception,  not  to  exceed  $  1,000, 
was  ordered.    ( Vide  report  of  the  committee,  Appendix.) 

At  a  meeting  held  January  3d,  1866,  the  annual  report  of  the 
committee  on  pensions  showed  the  number  relieved  during  the 
past  year  to  have  been  91  adults  and  7  children,  at  an  expenditure 
of  $5-193- 

The  annual  report  of  the  school  committee  showed  a  total 
of  407  pupils  in  the  drawing-school,  and  of  42  in  the  debating 
society.  The  average  attendance  was  less.  The  expenditures  were 
$1,208.95.  The  school  was  represented  as  being  in  a  prosperous 
condition,  and  creditable  mention  was  made  of  the  services  of  the 
teachers. 

The  library  committee  reported  the  number  of  volumes  in  the 
Apprentices'  Library  at  29,873,  and  in  the  De  Milt  at  3,827  —  total, 
33,700.  The  number  of  readers  during  the  year  was  7,282;  the 
number  of  volumes  loaned,  135,840;  the  expenditures  of  the  Ap- 
prentices' Library  were  $11,511.86 — less  $2,167.91  received  from 
catalogues  and  fines.  The  expenditures  of  the  De  Milt  Library 
were  $268.48.  The  committee  reported  a  large  increase  in  the 
number  of  readers. 

The  annual  report  of  the  literary  and  scientific  committee  showed 
the  following  lectures  delivered : 

Rev.  R.  S.  Storrs,  "On  Professor  O.  M.  Mitchell";  J.  R. 
Gilmore,  "Jeff  Davis";  Rev.  Bishop  Simpson,  "Past  and  Future  of 
our  Country";  Rev.  A.  A.  Willetts,  "Domestic  Happiness";  Rev. 
F.  C.  Ewer,  "A  Drop  of  Water";  S.  M.  Hewlett,  "One  Great 
and  Yankee  Nation  "  ;  Rev.  James  Priestly,  "  Reminiscences  of  Mount 
Sinai";  Rev.  J.  C.  Dutcher,  "Little  Things";  Rev.  \V.  W.  Hicks, 
"British  Rule  in  India";  Rev.  F.  C.  Ewer,  "  Yosemite  Valley"; 
Rev.  A.  A.  Willetts,  "The  Ocean  and  its  Children." 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


157 


At  a  meeting  held  January  9th,  1866,  the  following  officers 
were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 

John  T.  Conover,  President.    Richard  E.  Mount,  Treasurer. 
Wade  B.  Worrall,  Vice-Pres.  William  Van  Norden,  Secretary. 
Wilson  Small,  2d  Vice-Pres.     Frederick  W.  Williams,  Collector. 

The  president  delivered  his  inaugural  address.    ( Vide  Appendix.) 

At  a  meeting  held  February  7th,  1866,  the  finance  committee 
reported  the  receipts  of  the  Society  at  $30,812.44;  the  expendi- 
tures at  $28,820.70.  The  assets  were  339,270.79;  the  liabilities, 
$8,904.32.    Assets  over  liabilities,  $330,366.47. 

An  act  of  the  Assembly  was  presented,  authorizing  the  Society 
to  withdraw  the  national  color  and  two  guide  flags  which  were 
presented  by  that  Society  to  the  First  Engineer  Regiment,  N.  Y. 
Volunteers,  and  which  are  now  deposited  in  the  Bureau  of  Military 
Record,  if  the  Society  substitute  therefor  the  national  flag  and 
two  guide  colors  presented  to  the  said  regiment  by  the  city  of 
New-York,  and  which  are  now  possessed  by  the  said  Society. 

At  a  meeting  held  October  3d,  1866,  the  new  and  revised 
code  of  by-laws  was  received,  adopted,  and  ordered  to  be  printed. 
(Vide  Appendix.) 

At  a  meeting  held  October  24th,  1866,  it  was  resolved  that  a 
committee  of  five,  with  the  president  and  treasurer  joined,  be 
appointed  to  consider  the  expediency  of  removing  the  Society  from 
its  present  location.  The  committee  consisted  of  Brothers  George 
R.  Jackson,  Thomas  Jeremiah,  A.  F.  Ockershausen,  James  Van 
Norden,  C.  H.  Delamater. 

At  a  meeting  held  November  7th,  1866,  the  committee  above- 
mentioned  presented  a  report.    The  following  resolution  was  adopted: 

"Resolved,  That  the  matter  of  location  be  referred  to  a  com- 
mittee, to  make  inquiries  where  and  at  what  prices  a  suitable  site 


I58  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [,864 

for  a  hall  for  the  Society  can  be  obtained ;  and  also  to  consider 
what  financial  arrangements  it  will  be  desirable  for  the  Society  to 
make  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  out  the  suggestions  of  the  com- 
mittee, together  with  their  views  of  the  disposition  of  the  present 
premises." 

Brother  Thomas  Jeremiah  offered  the  following  resolution  : 

"Resolved,  That  it  be  referred  to  the  finance  committee,  to  con- 
sider and  report  upon  the  practicability  of  economizing  annually  a 
specific  percentage  of  the  gross  revenue  for  the  purpose  of  creating 
and  maintaining  a  '  building  fund,'  and  of  improving  such  real  estate 
as  may  hereafter  be  purchased  for  the  benefit  of  the  Society." 

At  a  meeting  held  January  2d,  1867,  the  annual  report  of  the 
committee  on  pensions  showed  that  during  the  year  92  adults  and 
13  children  had  been  relieved,  at  an  expenditure  of  $5,477.88. 

The  annual  report  of  the  library  committee  showed  the  num- 
ber of  volumes  in  the  Apprentices'  Library  to  be  32,105,  and 
in  the  De  Milt  Library,  3,943  —  total,  36,048.  The  number  of 
readers  had  been  :  Apprentices,  3.852  ;  of  women,  2,588  ;  of  pay- 
readers,  525;  of  members,  177  —  total,  7.142.  The  number  of 
volumes  loaned  was  125,943.  The  expenditures  of  the  Apprentices' 
Library  had  been  $9,937.85,  less  pay-readers,  catalogues,  fines, 
etc.,  $2,126.98.  The  expenditures  for  the  De  Milt  Library  were 
$388.62. 

The  annual  report  of  the  literary  and  scientific  committee  showed 
the  expenditures  to  have  been  $991.03.  The  committee  also  reported 
a  course  of  lectures  in  delivery  by  the  following  gentlemen,  viz. : 
Rev.  Noah  H.  Schenck,  Rev.  W.  W.  Hicks,  Rev.  A.  A.  Willetts, 
S.  M.  Hewlett. 

Brother  George  R.  Jackson,  chairman,  presented  a  special  report 
of  the  committee  on  a  new  location  as  follows  : 

"  The  committee  to  whom  was  referred  the  change  of  location 


,87o]  MECHANICS     AND     TRADESMEN.  1 59 

most  respectfully  report  that  they  have  had  numerous  sessions,  and 
several  pieces  of  property  under  consideration,  but  two  only  of 
the  number  are  deemed  desirable. 

"  One  plot  of  ground,  situated  on  the  corner  of  Fourth  Avenue 
and  Twenty-third  street,  being  88  feet  on  Fourth  Avenue  and  175 
feet  on  Twenty-third  street.  Price  for  ground,  $138,000.  This 
would  be  an  expensive  property  to  improve ;  it  would  probably 
involve  an  outlay  of  $500,000  for  land  and  improvements. 

"  The  other  property  under  consideration  is  the  plot  of  ground 
on  Fourteenth  street,  adjoining  the  Academy  of  Music,  being 
116  feet  front  and  122  feet  deep.  Price,  $75,000.  This  is  a  very 
desirable  shape  to  improve ;  we  could  put  our  lecture-room  on  the 
rear,  and  have  four  stories  and  basement  on  the  front,  25  x  50  each  ; 
a  hall-way  of  16  feet  to  the  rear  building;  a  library  on  the  second 
floor,  front  building ;  and  the  third  floor  could  be  used  for  janitor 
and  school-room ;  the  fourth  floor  could  be  rented  for  masonic  or 
other  purposes.  We  also  made  estimates  of  expenses  and  rentals, 
and  offer  the  following  resolution  : 

"Resolved,  That  the  finance  committee  be  instructed  to  purchase 
the  plot  of  ground  on  the  north  side  of  Fourteenth  street,  116  x  122, 
adjoining  the  Academy  of  Music,  at  a  sum  not  to  exceed  $75,000." 

At  a  meeting  held  January  2d,  1867,  it  \\as 

"Resolved,  That  it  be  referred  to  the  finance  committee,  to  con- 
sider and  report  what  financial  arrangements  will  be  necessary  and 
expedient  for  the  Society  to  make  for  the  purchase  of  the  plot  of 
ground  mentioned  by  the  committee  on  location." 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  8th,  1867,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 

Wade  B.  Worrall,  President.  Richard  E.  Mount,  Treas. 

Wilson  Small,  Vice-Pres.  Wm.  Van  Norden,  Sec. 

Cornelius  H.  Delamater,  2d  V.-Pres.  Fred.  W.  Williams,  Col. 


l6o  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [^64 

The  newly  elected  president  delivered  his  inaugural  address. 
(  Vide  Appendix.) 

The  annual  report  of  the  school  committee  showed  that  the 
classes  had  been  as  follows:  free-hand  drawing,  182  pupils;  archi- 
tectural drawing,  48;  mechanical,  28;  mathematical,  12  —  total,  270. 
The  expenditures  had  been  $1,105.84. 

At  a  meeting  held  February  6th,  1867,  the  finance  committee 
presented  the  general  annual  report  up  to  January  1st,  1867.  The 
receipts  had  been  $39,641.13;  the  expenditures,  $34,881.67.  The 
assets  were  $393,929.21  ;  the  liabilities,  $7,803.28.  Assets  over  lia- 
bilities, $386,125.93. 

The  question  of  a  new  location  for  the  Society  again  came  up. 
The  chairman  of  the  committee,  Brother  George  R.  Jackson,  after 
some  explanatory  remarks,  moved  in  behalf  of  the  committee  the 
following  resolution  : 

"Resolved,  That  the  finance  committee  be  instructed  to  purchase 
the  plot  of  ground  at  the  south-west  corner  of  Fourth  Avenue  and 
Twenty-third  street,  being  83  x  1 75  feet,  for  a  sum  not  to  exceed 
$140,000." 

It  was  moved  that  the  resolution  be  laid  on  the  table,  and  that 
a  special  meeting  be  called  for  the  20th  inst.,  to  consider  the  same. 
This  was  lost — ayes,  eighteen  ;  nays,  forty-four.  Another  resolution 
was  offered,  that  the  finance  committee  be  instructed  to  purchase 
three  lots  of  ground.  75  x  100  feet,  on  Twenty-third  street,  100  feet 
from  the  south-west  corner  of  Fourth  Avenue,  at  a  sum  not  to  exceed 
$45,000.  This  also  was  lost.  Another  resolution  was  offered,  post- 
poning the  consideration  of  the  resolution  offered  by  the  committee 
until  the  next  regular  meeting.    This  was  carried. 

There  was  a  strong  feeling  at  this  meeting  in  favor  of  removal, 
but  there  was  much  difference  of  opinion  respecting  the  locality 
and  the  amount  of  money  which  the  Society  should  invest  in  the 


,87oJ  MECHANICS     AND     TRADESMEN.  1 6 1 

new  site.  A  small  minority  strongly  felt  that  the  Society 
should  remain  in  its  old  quarters  for  the  present,  and  until 
the  sinking  fund  should  reach  a  larger  amount  of  money  than 
could  now  be  paid  for  the  purpose.  Ultimately,  action  was,  with 
the  usual  caution  of  the  Society,  postponed.  At  the  next  meeting, 
the  Society  learned  that  the  property  in  question  had  been  sold. 
Opinion  had  so  far  changed  that  this  was  a  cause  of  regret  but 
to  few. 

At  a  meeting  held  December  4th,  1867,  upon  motion  of  J.  P. 
Simpson,    the    following    resolution    was    referred    to   the   library  % 
committee  : 

"Resolved,  That  it  is  expedient  to  institute  measures  to  extend 
the  benefits  of  the  library  by  opening  reading-rooms  in  those 
sections  of  the  city  that  will  be  within  the  reach  of  the  greatest 
number  of  the  mechanics'  apprentices,  and  that,  in  order  to  effect 
this  object,  the  library  committee  be  authorized  to  procure  a 
suitable  room  in  the  vicinity  of  Grand  street  and  East  Broadway  ; 
and  another  in  the  vicinity  of  Greenwich  Avenue  and  West  Thir- 
teenth street,  to  be  fitted  up  as  reading-rooms  for  mechanics'  appren- 
tices, to  be  opened  every  evening  except  that  of  Sunday,  from 
sunset  until  half-past  nine  o'clock,  and  to  employ  suitable  persons 
to  take  charge  of  the  same." 

At  a  meeting  held  January  8th,  1868,  the  treasurer  reported 
that  he  had  received,  from  the  estate  of  the  late  Peter  Lorillard, 
$5,000,  to  be  expended  for  the  benefit  of  the  library  in  the  pur- 
chase of  books.  This  matter  was  then  referred  to  the  finance 
committee,  with  instructions  to  prepare  a  suitable  acknowledgment 
to  be  presented  to  the  executors  of  the  late  Mr.  Lorillard,  and 
to  report  the  same. 

The  school  committee  reported  the  number  of  pupils  in  the 
drawing-school  at  398  —  an  increase  over  the  number  in  previous 


1 62  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [1864 

years.  The  committee  suggested  that  the  school  be  frequently 
visited  by  members  of  the  Society. 

The  general  report  of  .the  library  committee  showed  the  number 
of  books  in  the  Apprentices'  Library  to  be  33,532  ;  in  the  De  Milt 
Library,  4,028  —  total,  37,560.  The  number  of  readers  during  the 
year  was  6,344;  the  number  of  volumes  loaned,  117,385.  The 
expenditures  of  the  Apprentices'  Library,  less  $1,845.41  received 
from  pay  readers,  were  $7,872.03.  The  expenditures  of  the  De 
Milt  Library  were  $328.59.    The  committee  said: 

"  The  history  of  the  Apprentices'  Library,  from  its  organization 
(forty-seven  years  ago),  is  a  very  interesting  one.  From  a  very 
small  beginning  it  has  grown  up,  under  the  fostering  care  of  the 
Society,  to  be  an  institution  of  which  the  mechanics  of  the  city 
ma)r  well  feel  proud.  The  attention  of  the  committee  has  been 
called  to  a  resolution  passed  at  the  last  meeting  of  the  Society, 
on  the  subject  of  opening  two  reading-rooms — one  on  the  east 
and  one  on  the  west  side  of  the  city  —  for  the  purpose  of  affording 
an  opportunity  to  young  men  and  boys  for  spending  their  evenings 
in  reading  and  improving  their  minds.  Your  committee  has  had 
this  subject  under  serious  consideration,  and  believe  that  the  organ- 
ization of  branch  offices  for  the  purposes  mentioned  would  be  of 
great  benefit  to  the  persons  alluded  to.  and  we  hope  that  before 
long  such  branches  to  the  library  may  be  put  in  operation.  Yet. 
in  the  opinion  of  your  committee,  the  enterprise  could  not  be  suc- 
cessfully carried  out  without  a  much  larger  appropriation  than 
they  can  reasonably  expect  at  present." 

The  annual  report  of  the  literary  and  scientific  committee 
announced  the  delivery  of  lectures  by  Rev.  F.  C.  Ewer,  John  B. 
Gough,  S.  M.  Hewlett,  Rev.  J.  Hyatt  Smith,  and  Richard  O'Gor- 
man.  The  latter  gentleman  declined  to  receive  any  pecuniary  com- 
pensation for  his  services.    The  expenditures  were  $1,618.85. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  14th,  1868,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year: 

Wilson  Small,  President.  Richard  E.  Mount,  Treas. 

Cornelius  H.  Delamater,  V.-Pres.   William  Van  Norden,  Sec. 
A.  F.  Ockershausen,  2d  Vice-Pres.    Frederick  W.  Williams,  Col. 

At  a  meeting  held  February  5th,  1868,  the  finance  committee 
made  their  yearly  report,  stating  the  receipts  of  the  Society  to 
January  1st,  1868,  to  have  been  $35,263.34;  the  expenditures, 
$42,499.84.  The  large  excess  of  expenditures  over  receipts  was 
occasioned  by  investments  in  United  States  securities  to  the  amount 
of  $16,143.75.  The  assets  of  the  Society  were  stated  at  $401,397.09  ; 
the  liabilities  at  $7,507.66.    Assets  over  liabilities,  $393,889.43. 

Wilson  Small,  Esq.,  the  newly  elected  president,  delivered  his 
inaugural  address.    (  Vride  Appendix.  ) 

Daniel  D.  Wright  was  elected  treasurer,  to  fill  a  vacancy. 

At  a  meeting  held  July  1st,  1868,  the  president  stated  that  the 
exchange  of  battle-flags  between  the  Bureau  of  Military  Statistics  at 
Albany  and  this  Society,  for  some  time  pending,  had  at  last  been 
effected,  and  that  the  national  flag  presented  by  the  Society  to  the 
Volunteer  Regiment  of  Engineers  was  now  with  the  other  flags  of 
the  regiment,  in  the  case  prepared  for  them. 

The  sum  of  $5,500,  received  by  the  finance  committee  from  the 
insurance  companies  in  payment  of  losses  sustained  by  the  Society 
through  the  late  fire,  was  ordered  to  be  paid  over  to  the  treasurer. 

At  a  meeting  held  January  6th,  1869,  the  annual  report  of  the 
committee  on  pensions  showed  that  their  expenditures  during  the 
year  had  been  $6,810,  as  follows:  Pensions  paid  to  members, 
$1,622;  pensions  paid  to  widows,  $4,043;  to  children,  $270;  dona- 
tions to  members,  $40 ;  to  widows,  $466  ;  funeral  expenses  of 
members,   $116;    of  widows,   $200;  sundry  expenses,    $53.  The 


164 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


whole  number  of  pensioners  on  the  books  of  the  committee  were  5 
aged  and  infirm  members,  77  widows,  and  15  minor  children  of 
deceased  members.  The  committee  made  some  interesting  state- 
ments. The  oldest  member  on  the  pension  list  had  been  for  sixty- 
six  years  a  member  of  the  Society.  Of  the  widows  it  was  stated 
that  most  were  well  advanced  in  years,  and  a  few  had  reached 
extreme  old  age.  During  the  previous  year,  the  committee  had 
visited  all  the  pensioners  resident  in  New-York  and  the  neighbor- 
ing cities.  Although  many  of  them  were  found  poor,  none  were 
degraded,  many  were  highly  respectable,  and  some  were  educated 
and  refined.  All  were  worthy,  and  every  one  expressed  deep  grati- 
tude to  the  Society  for  the  benefits  bestowed.  Some  interesting 
accounts  were  given  of  the  widows  relieved  by  the  Society.  The 
son  of  one  of  them  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness.  The 
son  of  another  was  starved  to  death  in  Salisbury  prison.  The 
oldest  son  of  another  was  killed  in  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness ; 
her  second  son,  after  participating  in  many  battles,  had  become  dis- 
abled by  disease ;  her  third  son,  enlisting  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years, 
after  participating  in  many  battles,  came  home  safe.  As  a  rule,  the 
conduct  of  the  orphan  beneficiaries  of  the  Society  had  been  exem- 
plary and  encouraging.  Some  of  them  had  themselves  become 
members  of  the  Society. 

The  annual  report  of  the  school  committee  showed  the  whole 
number  of  pupils  in  the  drawing- school  to  have  been  460;  the 
expenditures  $1,257.54. 

The  annual  report  of  the  library  showed  the  number  of  books 
in  the  Apprentices'  Library  to  be  37,807;  in  the  De  Milt,  4.090; 
in  the  Lorillard,  843;  total,  42,740.  The  number  of  readers  had 
been  5,246;  of  volumes  loaned,  96,860.  The  library  had  been 
closed  for  some  time  early  in  the  year,  in  consequence  of  fire,  and 
while  repairs    were   being   made.     The    money  received  from  the 


1870]  MECHANICS     AND     TRADESMEN.  1 65 

estate  of  the  late  Peter  Lorillard  ($5,000)  had  been  appropriated  for 
the  purchase  of  useful  and  standard  books.  The  expenditures  were  : 
Apprentices'  Library,  $14,770.64;  De  Milt,  $370.20. 

The  annual  report  of  the  literary  and  scientific  committee  reported 
the  following  lectures  delivered  : 

Rev.  E.  H.  Chapin,  "  Building  and  Being " ;  Rev.  F.  C.  Ewer, 
"Darwin's  Theory";  Rev.  R.  H.  Thompson,  "John  Bull  at  Home": 
Rev.  A.  R.  Thompson,  "A  Word  or  Two  about  Words";  Colonel 
F.  A.  Conkling,  "Decisive  Battles  of  America";  Wendell  Phillips, 
"  Lost  Arts." 

The  expenditures  were  $1,312.82. 

The  finance  committee  presented  their  annual  report,  which 
stated  the  financial  situation  of  the  Society  as  follows :  Receipts  for 
the  year,  $34,579.99 ;  expenditures,  $32,150.57;  assets,  $408,640.43; 
liabilities,  $7,507.66.  Assets  over  liabilities,  $401,132.77.  There 
was  this  year  an  excess  of  receipts  over  expenditures  of  $2,429.22, 
but  included  in  the  former  were  the  $5,500  received  from  the  insur- 
ance companies.  There  was,  in  fact,  making  this  reduction,  an 
excess  of  expenditures  over  receipts. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  12th,  1869,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 

Cornelius  H.  Delamater,  Pres.  Daniel  D.  Wright,  Treas. 
Adolphus  F.  Ockershausen,  V. -Pres.  William  Van  Norden,  Sec. 
George  I.  Byrd,  2d  Vice-Pres.  Frederick  W.  Williams,  Col. 

The  newly  elected  president,  Cornelius  H.  Delamater,  Esq.,  de- 
livered his  inaugural  address.    (Vide  Appendix.) 

The  fire  which  had  taken  place  in  Mechanics'  Hall  suggested 
various  changes  ;  and  there  was  much  difference  of  opinion  respect- 
ing alterations  which  would  really  be  improvements.  Discussion, 
however,  brought  substantial  agreement,  and  several  changes  which 


1 66  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [1864 

were  evidently  desirable  were  made,  including  an  entrance  to  the 
school-room  from  Broadway. 

At  a  meeting  held  September  ist,  1869,  the  finance  committee 
suggested  that  some  order  should  be  immediately  taken  relative  to 
leasing  the  property  of  the  Society  at  the  corner  of  Broadway  and 
Park  Place,  as  the  present  lease  would  expire  on  the  30th  of  April 
next.  This  property  had  become  very  valuable,  and  highly  desirable 
as  a  location  for  banks,  insurance  companies,  or  other  moneyed  insti- 
tutions. The  Society,  therefore,  passed  the  following  careful  resolution : 

"Resolved,  That  the  finance  committee  be  and  are  hereby 
instructed  to  make  known  to  the  public  that  they  are  prepared 
to  receive  proposals  for  leasing  the  property  of  the  Society  at 
the  corner  of  Broadway  and  Park  Place ;  and  to  report  to  the 
Society  such  proposals  as  they  may  receive." 

In  accordance  with  this  resolution  the  finance  committee  adver- 
tised the  property  to  lease,  and  received  some  applications,  but  found 
that  builders  were  unwilling  to  make  satisfactory  offers,  as  no 
authority  had  been  given  to  the  committee,  and  no  price  had  been 
fixed  upon.  During  the  remainder  of  the  year  the  subject  was 
much  discussed,  but  no  satisfactory  proposal  presented  itself. 

At  a  meeting  held  January  5th,  1870,  the  treasurer  in  his  report 
stated  that  the  income  from  the  sale  of  gold  would  be  much  less  during 
the  current  year.  If  the  real  estate  of  the  Society  could  be  favorably 
leased,  an  increase  of  income  would  ensue,  which  would  remedy  the 
deficiency  and  free  the  Society  from  debt  incurred  during  the  last  year. 

The  committee  on  pensions  reported  that  aid  had  been  extended 
during  the  year  to  90  adults  and  16  children,  at  an  expenditure 
of  $6,855. 

The  annual  report  of  the  school  committee  showed  the  expendi- 
tures for  instruction  during  the  past  year  to  have  been  $1,571.97. 

The  annual  report  of  the  library  committee  showed  the  number 
of  books  in  the  Apprentices'  Library  to  be  39,785  ;  in  the  De  Milt 


1870]  MECHANICS     AND     TRADESMEN.  I  67 

Library,  4,223;  from  the  Lorillard  bequest,  1,440;  total,  45,448. 
The  number  of  readers  during  the  year  had  been  6,321;  the  number 
of  volumes  loaned,  105,892.  The  expenditures  had  been  $10,426.08 
for  the  Apprentices'  Library,  less  money  received  from  fines  and 
catalogues  ($963.16).  Actual  expenditures,  $9,462.92.  Expenditures 
of  the  De  Milt  Library,  $303.35. 

The  literary  and  scientific  committee  reported  lectures  delivered 
by  John  B.  Gough,  Rev.  E.  H.  Chapin,  George  VV.  Curtis,  P. 
Du  Chaillu,  George  Vandenhoff,  and  Professor  L.  Youmans.  Ex- 
penditures, $1,571.12. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  nth,  1870,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 

Adolphus  F.  Ockershausen,  Pres.  Daniel  D.  Wright,  Treas. 
George  I.  Byrd,  Vice-Pres.  William  Van  Norden,  Sec. 

James  I.  Burnet,  2d  Vice-Pres.        Frederick  W.  Williams,  Col. 

The  finance  committee  presented  their  annual  report  of  the 
financial  condition  of  the  Society  during  the  past  year.  The  receipts 
of  the  Society  had  been  $31,572.33;  the  expenditures,  $35,378.77. 
Excess  of  expenditures  over  receipts,  $3,806.44.  The  assets  of  the 
Society  were  $404,630.40;  the  liabilities,  $9,507.66. 

At  a  meeting  held  February  3d,  1870,  Adolphus  F.  Ocker- 
shausen, the  newly  elected  president,  delivered  his  inaugural  address. 
{Vide  Appendix.) 

A  proposal  was  received  from  the  Security  Insurance  Company, 
offering  to  lease  the  land  and  premises  of  the  Society,  at  the  north- 
west corner  of  Park  Place  and  Broadway,  at  a  yearly  rent  of 
$24,100,  for  the  term  of  twenty-one  years,  from  May  1st,  1870, 
with  two  renewals  of  twenty-one  years  each,  at  the  rate  of  seven 
per  cent,  upon  the  appraised  value  of  the  land  at  the  time  of  such 
renewals  respectively,  the  terms  of  the  lease  to  be  substantially  like 
those  contained  in  the  leases  of  the  Columbia  College  property  in 


GENERAL  SOCIETY. 


[1864-  1870 


this  city,  the  Society  to  erect  a  first-class  building  of  brick  or  stone 
within  the  first  year  of  the  term,  to  cost  not  less  than  $100,000. 

The  offer  was  at  the  same  meeting  accepted. 

At  a  meeting  held  March  2d,  1870,  Brother  Amos  F.  Hatfield, 
architect,  presented  to  the  Society  a  large  photograph  of  the  build- 
ing at  the  corner  of  Park  Place  and  Broadway,  recently  taken  by 
him,  which  was  accepted.  The  secretary  was  instructed  to  have 
the  picture  framed  and  suspended  in  the  meeting-room. 

Brother  James  Van  Norden  reported  that  the  tablet  which  was 
on  the  front  of  the  building  at  the  corner  of  Broadway  and  Park 
Place  had  been  taken  down,  and  deposited  in  the  Society's  rooms. 
The  matter  of  disposing  of  the  tablet  was  referred  to  the  school 
committee,  with  power. 

At  a  meeting  held  June  1st,  1870,  Brother  John  H.  Waydell 
stated  that  Brother  Jacob  A.  Westervelt,  for  many  years  a  prominent 
ship-builder  of  this  city,  being  about  to  retire  from  business,  and 
having  a  number  of  models  and  pictures  of  celebrated  vessels  built 
by  him,  would  be  pleased  to  present  them  to  the  Society.  He 
also  informed  the  Society  that  Brothers  Richard  and  Cornelius  C. 
Poillon  would  be  pleased  to  present  to  the  Society  a  number  of 
models  and  pictures  of  vessels  built  by  them.  The  donations  were 
received  with  the  thanks  of  the  Society,  and  the  matter  was  referred 
to  the  school  and  library  committees. 

At  a  meeting  held  July  6th,  1870,  the  finance  committee  reported 
that  the  corner-stone  of  the  old  Mechanics'  Hall,  at  the  corner  of 
Park  Place  and  Broadway,  had  been  delivered  to  the  Society.  It 
was  found  imbedded  in  sand,  with  its  face  downward,  and  in  as 
good  condition  as  when  it  was  deposited.  It  was  of  brown  stone, 
with  the  following  inscription  on  its  face  : 

"This  stone  was  laid  for  the  Hall  of  the  General  Society  of 
Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New-York,  on  the  2d  day 
of  August,  1802,  in  the  27th  year  of  American  independence." 


I 


CHAPTER  XII. 

CONTINUED  PROSPERITY. 


T  a  meeting  held  January  4th,  1 87 1,  the  treasurer,  in  his 
annual  report,  stated  that  the  slight  stringency  in  the 
exchequer  which  had  existed  for  nearly  two  years  had  at 
last  been  happily  relieved.  Should  no  unexpected  exigency  occur,  the 
income  of  the  Society  would  be  much  larger  the  present  year  than 
ever  before.  A  century  ago,  it  was  with  extreme  difficulty  that  its 
current  needs  were  provided  for.  Since  that  period,  and  previous  to 
the  past  seven  years,  not  only  had  a  large  indebtedness  b  en  extin- 
guished, but  between  $40,000  and  $50,000  had  been  added  to  the 
funded  values  of  the  Society.  The  treasurer  also  suggested  that  the 
policy  of  economy  should  not  be  abandoned,  but  out  of  the  income 
of  the  future  a  certain  amount  should  be  set  aside,  principal  and 
interest,  to  remain  inviolate,  to  be  devoted  to  whatever  specific  pur- 
poses this  ancient  and  honorable  corporation  might  determine  upon. 

The  report  of  the  committee  on  pensions  showed  that  the  roll 
contained  92  names,  viz.  :  those  of  nine  members,  75  widows,  and  8 
children.    The  expenditures  had  amounted  to  $7,415. 


172  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [187 1 

The  annual  report  of  the  school  committee  showed  the  whole 
number  of  pupils  in  drawing,  penmanship,  etc..  to  have  been  456, 
and  the  expenditures  $2,586.76. 

The  report  of  the  library  committee  showed  the  number  of 
books  in  the  Apprentices'  Library  to  be  42,202  ;  in  the  De  Milt 
Library,  4,278;  from  the  Lorillard  bequest,  2,287.  The  number  of 
readers  had  been  5,482.  The  committee  reported  further,  that  the 
Lorillard  bequest  had  been  expended  for  books,  in  accordance  with 
the  directions  of  the  donor.  The  policy  pursued  by  the  committee 
in  expending  the  Lorillard  devise  had  been  to  purchase  such  books 
as  would  render  the  entire  collection  most  complete.  It  was  deter- 
mined to  keep  the  books  purchased  from  the  Lorillard  bequest  by 
themselves.  Progress  had  been  made  toward  completing  a  supple- 
mentary catalogue,  which  would  be  issued  some  time  in  February. 
The  expenditures  of  the  Apprentices'  Library  had  been  $10,083.68; 
of  the  De  Milt  Library,  $230.05. 

The  literary  and  scientific  committee  reported  that  the  follow- 
ing persons  had  lectured  during  the  year :  Wendell  Phillips,  Rev. 
Noah  H.  Schenck,  Samuel  S.  Cox,  C.  F.  Chandler,  George  Van- 
denhoff,  and  Mrs.  George  Vandenhoff.  Expenditures  had  been 
$1,676.64. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  10th,  1871,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 

George  I.  Byrd,  President.     Daniel  D.  Wright.  Treasurer. 
James  I.  Burnet,  Vice-Pres.     William  Van  Norden,  Secretary. 
Henry  Wilson,  2d  Vice-Pres.   Frederick  W.  Williams,  Collector. 

The  president  on  taking  the  chair  made  a  short  address,  con- 
gratulating the  Society  upon  its  continued  prosperity. 

The  finance  committee  reported  the  receipts  for  the  year  at 
$36,482.48;    the    expenditures  at  $31,145.34.     The  assets  of  the 


1875]  MECHANICS     AND     TRADESMEN.  1 73 

Society  were  stated  at  $401,851.56;  the  liabilities  at  $7,507.66. 
Assets  over  liabilities,  $394,343.90. 

At  a  meeting  held  February  1st,  1871,  Brother  Thomas  Jeremiah 
presented  resolutions  to  establish  a  sinking-  fund,  pledged  to  the 
purchase  of  land  in  a  suitable  location  and  the  erection  of  a  hall 
thereon  for  the  purposes  of  the  Society.  The  resolutions  were 
referred  to  a  select  committee,  consisting  of  Messrs.  Jeremiah, 
Patterson,  Ockershausen,  Palmer,  and  Wright. 

At  a  meeting  held  April  5th,  1871,  the  committee  on  the  sinking 
fund  reported  the  following  resolutions  : 

"Resolved,  That  a  fund  be  hereby  established,  to  be  called  the 
building  and  sinking  fund,  the  object  of  which  shall  be  the  purchase 
of  a  suitable  site  and  building,  or  the  erection  of  a  suitable  building 
upon  such  site  as  the  Society  may  select,  to  be  used  as  a  hall  for 
its  meetings  and  the  general  transaction  of  its  business,  the  said 
fund  to  be  continued  until  the  extinction  of  all  debt  which  shall 
remain  upon  the  said  site  and  the  building  after  its  purchase  and 
completion. 

"Resolved,  That  for  the  maintenance  of  said  fund  the  treasurer 
be  authorized  to  pay  over  to  its  managers,  from  the  income  of  the 
Society  for  the  year  1871,  the  sum  of  $10,000,  and  a  like  sum 
annually  during  the  existence  of  the  said  fund,  the  managers  also 
to  receive  such  additional  appropriations  of  surplus  as  the  Society 
may  be  able  from  time  to  time  to  make,  together  w  ith  donations 
and  bequests  from  its  members. 

"Resolved,  That  the  treasurer,  with  two  other  members,  to  be 
chosen  annually,  as  other  members  of  standing  committees  are 
chosen,  shall  be  known  as  '  managers  of  the  building  and  sinking- 
fund,'  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  invest  and  keep  invested  the  said 
fund,  with  its  accumulations,  upon  securities  to  be  approved  by  the 
Society;  and  whenever  the  surplus  revenue  for  the  year  shall,  from 


T74 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


unforeseen  circumstances,  fall  below  the  sum  of  ten  thousand  dollars, 
as  herein  directed  to  be  retained  by  the  managers,  they  shall  have 
power,  and  they  are  hereby  instructed,  to  reduce  such  sum,  so  that 
it  shall  be  equal  to  but-  not  exceed  the  surplus  of  any  such  year." 

In  accordance  with  the  above  resolutions,  the  president  nomi- 
nated and  the  Society  appointed  the  following  members,  to  con- 
stitute, with  the  treasurer,  the  managers  of  the  building  and  sinking 
fund,  viz.  :   Thomas  Jeremiah,  John  Palmer. 

At  a  meeting  held  December  6th,  1871,  the  secretary  announced 
the  death  of  Brother  William  Van  Norden,  upon  which  Brother 
William  Otis  Munroe  offered  the  following  preamble  and  resolutions, 
which  were  adopted : 

"Whereas,  We  have  heard  with  deep  regret  of  the  sudden  death 
of  our  esteemed  brother,  William  Van  Norden,  intimately  connected 
for  many  years  with  the  Society  in  various  responsible  positions — 
as  a  member  of  the  library  committee  for  ten  years,  during  three 
of  which  he  was  its  secretary,  and  for  four  years  its  chairman,  and 
then,  since  1854,  as  secretary  of  the  Society,  and  as  librarian  of 
the  Apprentices'  Library,  during  all  of  which  time  he  has  exhibited 
a  praiseworthy  zeal  and  proved  himself  alive  to  the  best  interests 
of  the  Society  ; 

"Resolved,  That  in  the  death  of  our  lamented  associate  the 
Society  has  sustained  a  severe  loss ;  that  his  sudden  removal  has 
deprived  them  of  a  most  worthy  member,  an  able  and  efficient 
secretary,  and  an  accomplished  and  faithful  superintendent  of  the 
library. 

"Resolved,  That  the  present  prosperous  condition  of  the  library 
is  chiefly  owing  to  his  zealous  devotion  to  its  interests,  and  to 
his  untiring  efforts  to  extend  the  sphere  of  its  usefulness  during 
the  many  years  in  which  he  was  connected  with  it  as  its  leading 
official. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


175 


"Resolved,  That  we  bear  cheerful  testimony  to  his  many  kindly 
qualities  of  head  and  heart,  to  his  strict  integrity,  his  untiring 
zeal  for  the  welfare  of  the  Society,  and  to  his  well-stored  mind, 
which  so  eminently  fitted  him  to  fill  the  onerous  and  responsible 
offices  consigned  to  his  care. 

"Resolved,  That  we  express  our  heartfelt  sympathy  with  his 
bereaved  family,  and  pray  with  them  that  He  who,  in  His  infinite 
wisdom,  has  seen  fit  to  remove  him  from  the  midst  of  his  labors 
so  congenial  to  his  taste,  may  inspire  them  with  strength  to  bear 
meekly  the  heavy  affliction  that  has  fallen  upon  them." 

It  was  also  resolved  that  the  salary  of  the  late  secretary  be 
continued  to  the  end  of  the  year  and  paid  over  to  his  family. 

Brother  Thomas  Earle  volunteered  to  act  as  secretary  during 
the  remainder  of  the  official  year. 

A  communication  was  received  from  A.  F.  Hastings,  receiver 
of  the  Security  Insurance  Company,  asking  the  consent  of  the 
Society  to  a  sale  of  the  lease  of  the  property  at  the  corner  of 
Broadway  and  Park  Place.  The  subject  was  referred  to  a  com- 
mittee consisting  of  the  finance  committee  and  the  officers  of  the 
Society,  with  power. 

John  A.  Browning  was  appointed  to  a  scholarship  in  Columbia 
College,  in  accordance  with  the  recommendation  of  the  school  com- 
mittee. 

At  a  meeting  held  January  3d,  1872,  the  treasurer  made  a  favor- 
able report  of  the  monetary  interests  of  the  Society  during  the 
past  year. 

The  annual  report  of  the  committee  on  pensions  showed  that 
aid  had  been  extended  during  the  year  to  91  adults  and  9  children, 
to  the  amount  of  $7,840.  Ninety  pensioners  remained  upon  the 
roll. 

The  school  committee    reported  51   pupils  during  the  year  in 


176 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


mechanical  and  architectural  drawing;  19  in  penmanship  and  book- 
keeping, and  271  in  free-hand  drawing.  Total,  341.  Expenditures, 
$2,586.76. 

The  library  committee  presented  their  annual  report,  showing  the 
number  of  volumes  in  the  Apprentices'  Library  to  be  44,190;  in  the 
De  Milt,  4,340;  purchased  from  the  Lorillard  bequest,  2,283;  total, 
50,813.  The  number  of  readers  was  as  follows:  apprentices,  3,739; 
women,  2,249;  Pa>'mg  readers,  161;  members,  145.  The  number 
of  volumes  loaned  was  110,130.  The  expenditures  of  the  Appren- 
tices' Library  were  $11,379.09,  less  catalogues,  payment  by  readers, 
and  fines — $1,462.91  ;  net  expenditures  of  the  Apprentices'  Library, 
$9,916.18.    Expenditures  of  the  De  Milt  Library,  $348.66. 

The  literary  and  scientific  committee  reported  that  lectures  had 
been  delivered  during  the  past  season  by  the  following  gentlemen  : 
Professor  E.  L.  Youmans.  George  W.  Curtis,  James  E.  Murdoch, 
Rev.  G.  I.  Mingins,  Rev.  John  Hall,  David  Mitchell,  I.  I.  Sedgwick, 
and  George  Vandenhoff.    The  expenditures  were  $2,136.68. 

The  annual  report  of  the  building  and  sinking  fund  committee 
stated  that  it  had  drawn  from  the  treasurer  the  allotted  amount  for 
the  year,  and  had  invested  the  same  in  United  States  5-20-1867 
bonds,  viz.:   $9,000  at  11        equal  to  $10,001.25. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  9th,  1872,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 

James  I.  Burnet,  President.  Daniel  D.  Wright,  Treasurer. 
Henry  Wilsox,  Vice-Pres.  Thomas  Earle,  Secretary. 

William  H.  Gednev,  2d  V.-Pres.  Frederick  W.  Williams,  Col. 

Brother  W.  H.  Gedney  offered  the  following  resolution,  which 
was  adopted : 

"Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  three  be  appointed  to  procure 
the  passage  of  an  amendment  to  the  charter  of  the  Society,  at  the 


MECHANICS      AND  TRADESMEN 


177 


present  session  of  the  Legislature  of  the  State,  permitting  the  Society 
to  hold  property  not  exceeding  in  value  $1,500,000,  and  that  all 
members,  citizens  of  the  United  States,  shall  be  entitled  to  all  its 
privileges  and  benefits,  and  eligible  to  any  of  its  offices." 

Messrs.  Gedney,  Earle,  and  Walker  were  appointed  such  committee. 

At  a  meeting  held  February  7th,  1872,  the  finance  committee 
presented  their  general  annual  report,  as  follows : 


RECEIPTS. 

Rent  Park  Place  property,   $24,100  .00 

"    Chambers  street  property,   3,000.00 

"    Mechanics'  Hall,   7,999  .95 

Dividend  Mechanics'  National  Bank  stock,  .    .  2,027  50 

Interest  on  U.  S.  securities,   2,580  .00 

Premium  on  gold,   298  .  56 

Initiation  fees,   1,150.00 

U.  S.  bonds,  sold  $8,000  and  110^,   ....  8,840.00 

Library  Committee,   1,462  91 

$5 1.458 . 02 

EXPENDITURES.  ta    ^J  y 

Ground  rent   $  1 2  5  . 00 

Taxes  and  repairs   1,519  .45 

Salaries,     .   1,789.50 

U.  S.  bonds  and  interest,   9-073  .07 

Finance  Committee,   3>°/3  97 

Committee  on  Pensions   7,840.00 

School  Committee,   2,579  .46 

Apprentices'  Library,   11,379.09 

De  Milt            "    348  .66 

Literary  and  Scientific  Committee,    .    .    .    .  2,136  .68 

$397864~88 

Receipts,   $51,458.92 

Expenditures,   39,864.88 

Excess  of  Receipts,   $11,594  .04 


I78                               GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  ^871 

ASSETS. 

Real  estate  Park  Place  and  Broadway,    .    .  $200,000.00 

"       "       Crosby  street  and  Broadway,     .  100,000  00 

"       "       Leasehold  Chambers  street,   .    .  4,000  00 
Eight  hundred  and  eleven  shares  Mechanics' 

National  Bank  stock,  par,   20,275  .00 

United  States  bonds,  par,   43,000  00 

"  "  "     Building    and  Sinking 

Fund,  $9,000,  par,   10,001  25 

Books  and  furniture,   41,000  00 

Cash  with  treasurer,   5>476 .  26 

"       "     committees,   2,698.09 

$426,450 . 60 

LIABILITIES. 

Due  Library  Fund,  $1,907  66 

"    De  Milt  Library,      ....  5,000.00 

"     "      "    Interest  300.00 

"     "      "    Improvement,       .    .       300.00 —  $7,507.66 

Assets  over  liabilities,    $418,942  .94 

At  a  meeting  held    March  6th,    1872,  was   presented    the  act 


passed  by  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of  New-York,  in  accordance 
with  the  petition  agreed  upon  January  9th,  1872.    (  Vide  Appendix.) 

The  school  committee  recommended  that  the  vacant  scholarship 
in  Columbia  College  be  conferred  upon  Charles  E.  Jackson,  which 
recommendation  was  confirmed. 

At  a  meeting  held  June  19th,  1872,  the  death  was  reported  of 
Brother  Frederick  W.  Williams,  collector,  who  for  many  years  had 
held  that  office.  It  was  ordered  that  his  salary  be  paid  to  his  widow 
during  the  remainder  of  his  official  term.  Brother  W.  Otis  Munroe 
kindly  offered  to  perform  the  duties  of  the  office  gratuitously  for 
the  remainder  of  the  financial  year. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


179 


The  committee  appointed  at  a  previous  meeting  to  select  burial 
lots,  stated  that  they  had  the  refusal  of  twelve  lots  in  the  Cypress 
Hill  Cemetery,  containing  four  hundred  superficial  feet  each.  They 
recommended  that  the  committee  be  authorized  to  purchase  these 
lots,  and  it  was  so  authorized. 

At  a  meeting  held  September  4th,  1872,  the  committee  above- 
mentioned  reported  the  purchase  of  the  burial  lots  in  Cypress  Hill 
Cemetery.  It  was  instructed  to  have  the  lots  graded  at  once,  and 
to  report  upon  the  matter  of  fencing  the  lots. 

At  a  meeting  held  January  8th,  1873,  tne  treasurer  reported  the 
receipts  of  the  Society  for  the  past  year  to  have  been  $65,455.66;  the 
disbursements,  $65,134.58;  balance,  $321.08.  Balance  in  United 
States  Trust  Company,  $4,737.50.  Total  balance,  January  ist,  1873, 
$5,058.58. 

The  treasurer  in  his  report  said  :  "I  claim  it  an  honor  to  act 
with  and  for  an  institution  that  for  more  than  four  score  years  has 
kept  the  even  tenor  of  its  way  of  usefulness  and  benevolence, 
unspotted  before  the  world." 

The  finance  committee  also  reported  its  receipts  during  the  year 
to  have  been  $3,174.97;  its  disbursements,  $2,891.07;  its  balance  to 
be  $283.90.  It  also  reported  the  buildings  of  the  Society  to  be  in 
good  condition.  At  the  corner  of  Broadway  and  Park  Plaice  a  new 
and  substantial  building  had  been  erected,  in  accordance  with  the 
terms  of  the  lease.  The  property  on  Chambers  street  had  been 
repaired  and  repainted  by  the  lessee.  The  property  at  Broadway 
and  Crosby  street  had  been  repaired  and  repainted,  and  was  in 
very  good  condition. 

The  annual  report  of  the  committee  on  pensions  showed  that 
relief  had  been  extended  to  86  adults  and  8  children.  The  total 
expenditures  were  $7,310.  At  present  there  were  85  pensioners 
under  its  charge,  viz. :   5  members,  74  widows,  and  6  children.  The 


l80  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [1871 

committee  added  the  following:  "Two  of  the  members  on  the  pension 
roll  have  been  for  a  number  of  years  in  a  very  sick  and  helpless 
condition,  and  are  wholly  dependent  on  the  committee  for  their 
means  of  support.  There  are  no  hopes  of  their  recovery.  The  other 
three  members,  though  all  verging  on  eighty  years  of  age,  are  in 
comparatively  good  health  for  their  time  of  life.  By  the  assistance  of 
friends  they  are  placed  above  fear  of  want,  and  the  pension  of  $156 
per  annum  is  a  great  help  and  solace  to  them  in  their  declining  years. 
The  seventy-four  widows  vary  in  age  from  forty-five  to  eighty-eight 
years.  They  are  each  allowed  a  pension  of  $52  per  annum,  besides 
donations  from  time  to  time ;  many  of  them  are  able  by  industry  to 
contribute  to  their  own  support ;  others  who  are  aged  are  taken  care 
of  by  relatives  and  friends  ;  and  there  are  two  who  have  been  sick 
and  helpless  for  several  years,  one  of  whom  is  wholly,  and  the  other 
partially,  supported  by  the  committee.  The  committee  have  much 
satisfaction  in  stating  that,  although  most  of  these  widows  are  very 
poor,  they  are  all  respectable  and  worthy  the  support  of  the  Society." 

The  school  committee  reported  that  during  the  year  526  pupils 
had  been  instructed,  as  follows :  free-hand  drawing,  347;  book-keep- 
ing and  writing,  90;  architectural  drawing,  47;  mechanical  drawing, 
42.  The  expenditures  had  been  $2,496.86.  Good  progress  was  re- 
ported by  the  committee  in  the  different  departments  of  the  school. 

The  annual  report  of  the  library  committee  showed  the  whole 
number  of  volumes  in  the  Apprentices'  Library  to  be  37,202;  in  the 
De  Milt  Library,  4,509;  total.  41,711.  The  number  of  readers  had 
been  as  follows:  apprentices,  4,205;  women.  2,813;  PaY  readers,  121  ; 
members  of  the  Society,  125;  total,  7,264.  The  number  of  volumes 
loaned  were  121,550.  The  expenditures  of  the  Apprentices'  Library 
were  $9,989.52,  less  $1,167.55  Pa'd  for  catalogues,  fines,  etc.  Actual 
expenditure,  $8,821.97.  The  expenditures  of  the  De  Milt  Library 
were  $344.56. 


1875]  MECHANICS     AND     TRADESMEN.'  l8l 

The  literary  and  scientific  committee  presented  their  annual 
report,  from  which  it  appeared  that  lectures  had  been  delivered 
by  F.  H.  Warwick,  Peter  Stryker,  Charles  F.  Deems,  G.  T. 
Mingins,  E.  S.  Youmans,  George  W.  Curtis,  James  E.  Murdoch, 
and  John  B.  Gough.  The  expenditures  were  $2,003.13.  The 
lectures  were  reported  to  have  been  very  largely  attended. 

The  annual  report  of  the  building  and  sinking  fund  committee 
showed  the  following  schedule  of  assets  on  hand  January  1st,  1873: 

United  States  five-twenty  (1867)  bonds,  cost,  .  $10,001.25 

(1881)      "        "     .  10,192.50 


Interest  on  United  States  bonds,   540.00 

Premium  on  gold,   68.85 

Interest  on  call  loans   272.53 

On  hand  as  above   $21,075  13 


At  this  time  it  appeared  that  this  important  trust  had  been 
reduced  to  perfect  working  order.  It  was  felt  that  under  the  fostering 
aid  of  the  Society,  and  through  careful,  vigilant,  and  skillful  guardian- 
ship, the  building  and  sinking  fund  would  prove  a  valuable  auxiliary 
in  the  benevolent  operations  of  the  Society,  whose  duty  it  was  to  care 
for  the  aged,  the  widowed,  and  the  fatherless.  The  committee  also 
mentioned  in  appropriate  terms  the  death  of  the  venerable  proposer 
and  constructor  of  the  fund,  Brother  Thomas  Jeremiah. 

A  communication  was  received  from  the  Mechanics  and  Traders' 
Association  of  Brooklyn,  thanking  the  Society  for  a  donation  of 
nearly  one  thousand  volumes  of  books. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  14th,  1873,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 

Henry  Wilson,  President.  Daniel  D.  Wright,  Treas. 

William  H.  Gedney,  Vice-Pres.     Thomas  Earle,  Secretary. 
Wm.  Otis  Munroe,  2d  Vice-Pres.    John  E.  Hoagland,  Collector. 


1 82  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [1871 

A  resolution  was  offered  by  Brother  Henry  Moore,  as  follows : 

"Resolved,  That  the  Society,  recognizing  the  influence  that  woman 
is  exciting  in  the  community  at  the  present  time,  will  forthwith  open 
a  day  school  for  women,  .the  mornings  to  be  devoted  to  ordinary 
English  studies,  and  the  afternoons  to  the  stud)'  of  telegraphy, 
drawing,  and  stenography."    The  resolution  failed  of  a  passage. 

At  a  meeting  held  February  5th,  1873,  the  finance  committee 
made  its  annual  report.  The  receipts  were  stated  at  $60,631.40; 
the  expenditures  at  $30,067.19;  balance,  $30,564.21.  The  assets 
were  stated  at  $563,839.21  ;  the  liabilities  at  $7,507.66;  assets  over 
liabilities,  $556«33 1  -55- 

At  a  meeting  held  March  5th,  1873,  Brother  H.  L.  Slote,  in 
accordance  with  notice  given  by  him  at  the  last  meeting,  offered 
the  following  preamble  and  resolution  : 

"  Whereas,  The  present  location  of  our  library,  school,  and  place 
of  meeting,  although  exceedingly  valuable  for  commercial  and  busi- 
ness purposes,  is  not  now  calculated  for  its  original  uses,  from  its 
lower  position  in  the  city  ;  and  thinking  it  a  duty  to  seek  for  another 
and  more  central  location, 

"Resolved,  That  the  finance  committee  be  and  they  are  hereby 
instructed  to  advertise  our  present  location,  in  any  manner  which  it 
may  deem  advisable,  offering  a  lease  for  a  term  of  years,  with  cov- 
enants of  renewal,  and  obligations  to  build  thereon  and  improve  the 
same,  the  said  lease  to  date  from  May  1st.  1874;  or  if  the  com- 
mittee deem  proper,  to  consider  the  propriety  of  selling  the  estate. 

"Resolved,  That  the  finance  committee  be  likewise  instructed, 
during  the  interim,  to  ascertain  upon  what  terms  a  building  could 
be  leased  for  the  temporary  purposes  of  the  Society,  if  the  present 
estate  should  be  disposed  of." 

Brother  Marc  Eidlitz  offered  the  following  preamble  and  resolu- 
tions, which  were  adopted  : 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


"  Whereas,  It  appears  advisable  to  take  into  consideration  the 
acquisition  of  a  suitable  building  lot,  and  the  erection  thereon  of 
proper  buildings  for  a  new  Mechanics'  Hall ;  therefore, 

"  Resolved,  That  a  committee  consisting  of  the  president,  vice- 
presidents,  one  representative  of  each  standing  committee,  and  four 
other  brothers  nominated  by  the  chair,  be  appointed  to  take  into 
consideration  the  propriety  of  an  immediate  change  of  location,  and 
to  prepare  an  estimate  of  the  probable  cost  of  suitable  land  and  of 
the  appropriate  buildings  to  be  erected  thereon  ;  and  also  to  recom- 
mend to  the  Society  a  feasible  financial  scheme  for  carrying  out  the 
object  of  this  resolution." 

The  president  appointed,  as  such  committee,  Messrs.  Henry  L. 
Slote,  Marc  Eidlitz,  Andrew  Mills,  Daniel  D.  Wright,  John  T. 
Conover,  John  Nichol,  H.  M.  Smith,  William  H.  Gedney,  Thomas 
Earle,  Freeman  Bloodgood,  Christian  Metzgar,  W.  Otis  Munroe, 
Henry  Wilson. 

At  a  meeting  held  April  2d,  1873,  the  by-laws  were  amended, 
providing  that  the  regular  meetings  of  the  Society  should  be  held  on 
the  first  Wednesday  of  May,  June,  and  September,  at  8  o'clock  p.  m. 
Certain  committees  were  required  to  report  quarterly.  Donations, 
by  another  amendment,  were  limited  to  twenty  dollars  in  one  month  ; 
and  another  amendment  limited  funeral  expenses  in  eac.i  case  to 
eighty  dollars. 

At  a  meeting  held  January  7th,  1874,  the  treasurer  presented 
his  annual  report,  showing  the  receipts  for  the  past  year  to  have 
been  $62,816.20;  the  disbursements  to  have  been  $62,760.47,  includ- 
ing, among  other  items,  cash  in  United  States  Trust  Company,  on  call, 
$21,000;  building  and  sinking  fund,  $10,268.12;  pensions,  $7,500; 
library,  $10,300;  literary  and  scientific  committee,  $1,900;  the 
balance  was  $4,055.73.  Amidst  great  financial  depression  and  loss, 
the  investments  of  the  Society  remained  intact. 


184  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [1871 

The  finance  committee  reported  its  receipts  at  $6,020.46,  and  its 
disbursements  at  $5,499.23,  with  a  balance  of  $521.23. 

The  committee  on  pensions  reported  its  receipts  at  $8,619  !  lts 
disbursements  at  $7,3 1 1  ;  balance,  $1,308.  The  number  of  pensioners 
on  the  roll  call  was  stated  at  80. 

The  school  committee  reported  its  receipts  at  $3,414.36;  its 
disbursements  at  $2,868.94  ;  balance,  $545.42.  The  number  of 
pupils  in  the  drawing-school  was  reported  to  have  been  490.  Four 
free-hand  drawing  teachers,  with  one  architectural,  one  mechanical, 
and  one  teacher  of  book-keeping  and  writing,  were  employed. 

The  annual  report  of  the  library  committee  stated  the  receipts 
of  the  Apprentices'  Library  to  have  been  $12,953.96;  its  disburse- 
ments, $12,117.61;  balance,  $836.35.  The  receipts  of  the  De  Milt 
Library  had  been  $385.10;  the  disbursements,  $378.66;  balance, 
$6.44.  The  number  of  volumes  in  the  Apprentices'  Library  was 
reported  to  be  47,640;  in  the  De  Milt  Library,  4,657;  total,  52,297. 
The  number  of  readers  during  the  year  had  been  7,261  ;  of  volumes 
loaned,  112,118.  Approbation  was  expressed  of  the  manner  in 
which  the  library  was  now  managed. 

The  annual  report  of  the  literary  and  scientific  committee  showed 
the  receipts  to  have  been  $2,670.88;  the  disbursements,  $1,586.06; 
balance,  $1,084.82.  Lectures  had  been  delivered,  during  the  season, 
by  Rev.  W  illiam  Ormiston,  T.  T.  Sedgwick,  T.  H.  Warwick,  Bret 
Harte,  W.  C.  Richards,  and  T.  De  Cordova. 

The  building  and  sinking  fund  committee  reported  the  total 
amount  of  the  fund  to  be  $32,075.97,  invested  in  United  States 
bonds,  New-York  City  bonds,  and  in  savings  banks.  The  fund 
was  reported  to  be  in  a  healthy  and  growing  condition,  and  the 
committee  expressed  the  hope  that,  if  generously  nurtured  and  care- 
fully guarded,  it  might  prove  itself  of  great  value  to  the  Society. 

The  report  of  the  secretary,  upon  this  occasion,  was  particularly 
interesting.    It  appeared  from  his  statements  that  at  this  time  there 


,875]  MECHANICS     AND     TRADESMEN.  1 85 

were  upon  the  rolls  of  the  Society  the  names  of  1,059  members. 
Of  these,  570  were  regularly  notified  of  the  appointed  meetings  of 
the  Society.  Of  those  not  thus  regularly  notified,  many  were  living 
in  localities  outside  the  city  and  its'  environs,  their  address  and 
whereabouts  being  unknown  to  the  Society.  It  was  a  curious  cir- 
cumstance that,  during  the  year  comprehended  in  the  report,  thir- 
teen old  members  had  died,  and  fourteen  new  members  had  been 
admitted  to  the  Society.  This  did  not  show  an  increase ;  but 
neither  did  it  show  any  important  diminution.  At  the  same  time,  it 
was  considered  somewhat  remarkable  that  the  increase  of  member- 
ship, considering  its  great  advantages,  had  not  been  larger. 

Upon  a  report  from  the  committee  having  the  matter  in  charge, 
it  appeared  that  the  lots  adjoining  those  of  the  Society,  six  in  num- 
ber, could  be  purchased  at  $80  each,  with  interest  from  the  date  of 
the  last  purchase  of  the  Society.  The  committee  was  thereupon 
instructed  to  purchase  these  additional  lots. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  13th,  1874,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year  : 

William  H.  Gedney,  President.        Daniel  D.  Wright,  Trcas. 
William  Otis  Munroe,  Vice-Pres.    Thomas  Earle,  Secretary. 
Havilah  M.  Smith,  2d  Vice-Pres.     J.  E.  Hoagland,  Collector. 

At  a  meeting  held  February  4th,  1874,  William  H.  Gedney, 
the  president  elected,  delivered  his  inaugural  address.  (  Vide  Ap- 
pendix.) 

The  finance  committee  reported  the  balance  on  hand,  January 
1st,  1874,  to  be  $30,565.66,  and  the  receipts  for  the  year  to  have 
been  $73,693.81.  The  expenditures  were  stated  at  $33,259.85. 
Balance  to  the  credit  of  the  committee,  $40,433.96.  The  assets  of 
the  Society  were  stated  at  $573,708.96,  and  the  liabilities  at 
$7,507.66.    Thus,  the  assets  over  liabilities  were  $566,201.30. 


l86  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [^71 

At  this  meeting,  Brother  W.  A.  Walker  presented  the  meaning 
of  the  words  "  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen,"  in  the  charter  of  the 
Society.  The  opinion  of  the  committee,  as  expressed  in  its  report, 
was  as  follows  :  "  The  words  '  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen.'  as  they 
were  connected  by  the  founders  of  our  Society,  simply  mean  that  it 
was  never  intended  that  any  one  but  a  mechanic,  or  one  who  has 
learned  a  trade,  should  become  a  member  of  the  Society."  A 
minority  report  was  presented,  the  purport  of  which  was  that  "  all 
persons  directly  connected  with  a  mechanical  business  should  be 
eligible  to  membership."  It  does  not  appear  that  any  decisive 
action  was  taken  on  this  subject  by  the  Society  at  this  time. 

At  a  meeting  held  September  2d,  1874.  it  was 

"Resolved,  That  a  special  committee  be  appointed  for  the  pur- 
pose of  taking  into  consideration  the  propriety  of  merging  the  De 
Milt  with  the  general  library." 

At  the  next  meeting  the  committee  reported  that  it  was  ex- 
pedient, on  account  of  the  detail  occasioned  by  the  keeping  of 
separate  accounts  of  the  Apprentices'  Library  and  the  De  Milt 
Library,  to  merge  the  same  in  the  following  manner,  viz. :  All  the 
books  from  the  De  Milt  Library  shall  be  marked  with  a  star,  and 
with  an  explanation  that  they  are  the  bequest,  either  literally  or  by 
purchase,  of  Benjamin,  Elizabeth,  and  Sarah  De  Milt. 

That  specially  valuable  books,  and  those  out  of  print,  be  marked 
by  an  asterisk,  only  to  be  consulted  at  the  library,  and  not  loaned. 

That  a  nominal  sum  be  charged  (say  twenty-five  cents)  upon 
the  loan  of  books  from  the  De  Milt  Library,  in  accordance  with 
the  provisions  of  the  bequest.  The  privileges  of  the  De  Milt 
were  to  be  extended  to  all  persons  paying  for  the  use  of  books  in 
the  Apprentices'  Library. 

The  resolution  offered  by  Brother  W.  Otis  Munroe,  at  the  last 
meeting,  and  then  laid  upon  the  table,  was  taken  up,  and,  after 
consideration,  adopted : 


1875]  MECHANICS     A  NT)     TRADESMEN.  1 87 

"Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  five  be  appointed,  who,  with  the 
finance  committee,  shall  have  power  to  purchase  suitable  ground  for 
the  erection  of  a  building  for  the  use  of  the  General  Society  of 
Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City'  of  New-York,  said  ground  to 
be  not  south  of  Fourteenth  street,  nor  north  of  Forty-second  street, 
and  between  Seventh  Avenue  on  the  west,  and  Third  Avenue  on  the 
east,  and  to  cost  not  more  than  $200,000,  the  proper  officers  of  the 
Society  being  authorized  to  complete  the  purchase,  execute  the  neces- 
sary papers,  and  provide  for  the  required  payments." 

At  a  meeting  held  January  6th,  1875,  treasurer  reported  the 
receipts  of  the  Society,  for  the  past  year,  to  have  been  $47,315.04; 
the  disbursements,  $47,140.  The  balances  were:  in  bank,  $175.04; 
with  the  Trust  Company,  $4,500 ;  total,  $4,675.04.  The  treasurer 
declined  to  recommend  the  erection  of  a  new  building,  at  this  time, 
by  the  Society. 

The  annual  report  of  the  finance  committee  stated  its  receipts  at 
$3,271.23;  its  disbursements  at  $2,937.09;  its  balance  at  $334.14. 

The  committee  on  pensions  reported  its  receipts  at  $9,308  ;  its 
disbursements  at  $7,744;  its  balance  at  $1,564.  There  were  upon 
the  roll  6  members,  67  widows,  and  3  children. 

The  annual  report  of  the  school  committee  showed  the  receipts 
to  have  been  $3,043.21;  the  disbursements,  ,$3,074.13;  due  the 
committee,  $30.92. 

The  library  committee  reported  its  receipts  during  the  year  to 
have  been  $12,352.41;  its  disbursements,  $12,788.87;  due  library 
committee,  $436.46.  The  De  Milt  Library  showed  a  balance  in  its 
favor  of  $49.02.  The  number  of  readers  in  the  library  had  been 
6,868;  the  number  of  volumes  loaned,  129,273. 

It  was  during  the  years  1872  and  1873  that  all  the  books  in 
the  Apprentices'  Library  and  De  Milt  Library,  including  those  pur- 
chased by  the  funds  of  the  Lorillard  bequest,  were  re-arranged  and 
consolidated  upon  the  shelves  of  the  library,  upon  a  system  invented 


1 88  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [1871 

1))-  the  librarian  —  an  ingenious  feature  of  notation,  in  accordance 
with  which  all  the  books  were  numbered.  This  rendered  the  cata- 
logue of  1865  useless.  A  new  one  was  prepared  and  published. 
The  committee  expressed'  regret  that  the  whole  burthen  of  its  cost 
should  have  fallen  upon  the  appropriation  of  last  year,  as  this  had 
crippled  the  resources  of  the  committee. 

The  committee  said,  in  their  report:  "The  books  transferred 
will  probably  be  ready  for  circulation  in  the  course  of  the  current 
library  year,  and  from  an  approximate  count  will  comprise  about 
1,831  volumes,  embracing  the  following  subjects: 


"i.  General  works  and  natural  sciences,.        .    .  1 70  vols. 

2.  Useful  arts,     .   109  " 

3.  Fine  arts,  poetry,  literature,  and  philology,    .  398  " 

4.  Prose  fiction,   78  " 

5.  History,  geography,  voyages,  and  travels,  .    .  526  " 

6.  Biography  and  historical  miscellany,  .    .    .    .  201 

7.  Political  and  social  sciences,   134  " 

8.  Philosophy   49  " 

9.  Theology,   166  " 

Total  '*.....  1,831  vols. 


"  The  volumes  remaining  consist  of  books  of  reference,  public 
documents,  periodicals,  and  books  unsuitable  by  their  bulk,  cost, 
or  rarity,  or  for  some  special  reason  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  of 
replacement,  and  comprise  about  2,860  volumes,  which  w  ill  form  the 
nucleus  of  the  reference  department  of  the  library. 

"The  independent  existence  of  the  De  Milt  Library,  as  a  sepa- 
rate collection,  will  therefore  cease,  and  the  Apprentices'  Library  in 
future  will  consist  of  two  departments  —  reference  and  circulating. 

"The  original  De  Milt  Library  consisted  of  1,896  volumes,  and 
was  bequeathed  to  the  Society  by  the  will  of  Benjamin  De  Milt,  in 
the  following  words  : 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


189 


"  The  use  of  my  miscellaneous  library  I  give  and  bequeath  to  my  brother, 
Samuel  De  Milt,  during  his  natural  life,  and  at  his  decease  I  give  the  same 
to  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New-York, 
to  be  used  and  improved  as  a  pay  library  forever,  and  to  be  kept  in  as  good 
condition  and  as  valuable  as  the  same  shall  be  when  received  by  the  Society. 

"Samuel  De  Milt  died  early  in  1845,  ar>d  the  collection  was 
accepted  and  received  by  the  Society,  and  was  placed  in  charge  of 
the  library  committee,  who  arranged  it  in  a  conspicuous  place  in 
the  library,  and  published  a  catalogue  of  it  (which,  by-the-by,  was 
the  only  separate  catalogue  of  the  De  Milt  Library  ever  published) 
in  1846. 

"  The  books  were  allowed  to  circulate  on  the  payment  of  twenty- 
five  cents  by  apprentices,  and  fifty  cents  per  annum  by  the  other 
readers. 

"In  1850,  Miss  Elizabeth  De  Milt,  the  sister  of  Benjamin  De 
Milt,  bequeathed  five  thousand  dollars  to  the  Society  for  its  general 
purposes,  and  five  thousand  dollars  besides  '  for  the  enlargement  and 
improvement  of  the  De  Milt  Library.'  The  Society,  at  its  meeting 
on  December  4th,  1850,  resolved  that  this  sum  'be  securely  and 
permanently  invested  by  the  finance  committee,  and  that  the  annual 
income  accruing  from  said  investment  shall  be  yearly  expended 
under  the  direction  of  the  library  committee,  for  the  enlarging  and 
improvement  of  the  De  Milt  Library.' 

"  In  the  same  year,  another  sister,  Miss  Sarah  De  Milt,  be- 
queathed for  the  same  purpose,  of  '  enlargement  and  improvement 
of  the  De  Milt  Library,'  the  sum  of  two  thousand  dollars.  Fifteen 
hundred  dollars  of  this  amount  has  long  since  been  expended,  in 
accordance  with  the  terms  of  the  bequest,  leaving  a  balance  of  five 
hundred  dollars  still  due  and  unexpended  on  account  of  the  De 
Milt  Library. 

"  The  sum  of  three  hundred  dollars  has  been  received  annually 
from    the    Society,   as    the  interest  on    the    five   thousand  dollars 


190 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


bequeathed  by  Miss  Elizabeth  De  Milt,  and  from  this  source  the 
yearly  additions  have  been  made. 

"Since  1854  the  library  has  been  kept  exclusively  as  a  reference 
department,  a  small  sum  usually  being  charged  for  the  privilege  of 
consulting  the  books.  The  use  made  of  this  privilege  has  been  very 
small,  and  experience  has  convinced  the  committee  that  our  readers 
and  members,  as  a  class,  have  not  the  time  to  spend  in  reading  the 
books  in  the  library,  and.  that  a  large  proportion  of  the  books  are 
of  such  a  nature,  that  many  of  the  readers  would  be  glad  to  take 
them  home ;  for  which  reason  it  is  thought  that  the  transfer  will 
better  enable  the  committee  to  carry  out  the  spirit  and  intention 
of  the  bequest  than  any  previous  measures." 

The  annual  report  of  the  literary  and  scientific  committee  showed 
the  receipts  to  have  been  $2,084.82;  the  disbursements,  $1,569.72; 
balance  in  favor  of  the  committee,  $515.10.  The  lectures  during 
the  year  were  delivered  by  Elihu  Burritt,  Benson  J.  Lossing,  Wendell 
Phillips.  John  B.  Gough,  S.  T.  Sedgwick,  and  W.  S.  Andrews. 

The  annual  report  of  the  building  and  sinking  fund  committee 
showed  the  whole  amount  of  the  fund  to  be  $39,561.35. 

At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Society,  held  January  12th,  1875, 
the  following  officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 

William  Otis  Munroe,  President.  Daniel  D.  Wright,  Treasurer. 
Havilah  M.  Smith,  Vice-Pres.       Thomas  Earle,  Secretary. 
Edwin  Dobds,  2d  Vice-Pres.  Enoch  Stratton,  Collector. 

At  a  meeting  held  February  3d,  1875,  Brother  W.  Otis  Munroe, 
the  newly  elected  president,  delivered  his  inaugural  address.  ( Vide 
Appendix.) 

The  finance  committee  made  its  annual  report  as  follows:  On 
hand  January  1st,  1874,  and  received  from  various  sources,  $78,992.25; 
expended  during  the  year,  $46,231.37.    The  whole  amount  of  the 


1875]  MECHANICS     AND     TRADESMEN.  I9I 

assets  was  $579,506.27;  of  liabilities,  $7,507.66.  Assets  over  liabil- 
ities, $571,998.61. 

At  a  meeting  held  March  3d,  1875,  ^  was 

"■Resolved,  That  the  Society  procure  a  new  seal,  and  that  the 
president,  vice-president,  and  chairman  of  the  finance  committee 
constitute  a  committee  to  propose  a  suitable  device  and  inscrip- 
tion for  the  same." 

At  the  next  meeting,  the  committee  presented  a  draft  of  the 
proposed  seal,  which  was  accepted.1 

At  a  meeting  held  October  6th,  1875,  Brother  A.  F.  Ockershausen 
presented  the  report  of  the  committee  on  location,  as  follows  : 

"  The  committee  appointed  by  you  for  the  selection  of  a  new 
site  for  the  use  of  the  Society  would  respectfully  report  to  you  the 
progress  made  in  the  discharge  of  their  duty.  We  have  held  a 
number  of  meetings,  generally  fully  attended,  and  have  had  pre- 
sented to  us  in  the  district  designated  by  you  fifty  different  loca- 
tions, with  prices  varying  from  $90,000  to  $450,000 — most  of  which 
have  been  examined  by  some  of  the  members  of  the  committee 
personally.  The  most  prominent  location  presented  was  on  Seven- 
teenth street,  facing  Union  Square  Park,  price  $350,000,  which 
placed  it  beyond  the  action  of  your  committee. 

"  A  desirable  location  on  Fourth  Avenue,  between  Eighteenth  and 
Nineteenth  streets,  78  by  150,  could  be  purchased  for  $150,000. 

"  A  prominent  location  on  Broadway,  corner  of  Thirty-ninth 
street,  100  by  100,  could  be  purchased  for  $200,000. 

"These  places  are  merely  selected  from  those  examined  by  your 
committee  as  references  as  to  the  prices  wanted  by  owners  of  real 
estate.  As  the  result  of  the  experience  of  your  committee,  we  find 
that  all  the  desirable  localities  presented  to  us  are  still  held  by  the 
owners  at  about  the  same  prices  that  were  obtained  several  years 

An  engraving  of  this  seal  is  shown  on  page  62;  of  the  first  seal,  on  page  1. 


192 


GENERAL  SOCIETY 


[1871-  1875 


ago.  Your  committee  have  not  felt  justified  in  taking  any  action  in 
the  way  of  purchasing,  in  such  an  un propitious  state  of  affairs,  not- 
withstanding they  feel  the  necessity  of  removal  from  the  present 
location,  and  a  desire  to  carry  out  the  instructions  of  the  Society. 
They  cannot  see  their  way  clear  to  do  so,  should  they  pay  for  the 
location  the  sums  now  asked  by  the  owners  for  desirable  property. 
From  present  indications,  they  are  of  the  opinion  that  the  Society, 
by  delay,  will  not  be  the  loser,  as  there  does  not  appear  to  be  any 
probability  of  any  advance  in  the  price  of  real  estate  for  the  present. 
They  present  this  report  to  the  Society,  at  this  time,  for  their 
information  as  to  the  action  of  the  committee,  and  await  further 
instructions." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


CHANGE  OF  LOCATION. 

T  a  meeting  held  January  5th,  1876,  the  treasurer  presented 
his  annual  report.  The  balance,  January  1st,  1875,  was 
$4,675.04,  which,  with  the  receipts  during  the  year, 
amounted  to  $41,074.08.  The  expenditures  and  disbursements 
amounted  to  $36,500.80.  Balance,  $4,573.28.  The  committee  said 
that:  "The  past  year  has  not  been  marked  by  any  event  worthy  of 
notice  in  the  financial  department  of  the  Society.  The  present  con- 
dition of  its  exchequer,  though  the  income  is  still  shorn  somewhat 
of  its  former  dimensions,  exhibits  a  consolatory  increase,  and  the 
members  of  the  Society,  under  the  exercise  of  a  generous  economy 
and  a  careful  guidance  of  its  trusts,  may  confidently  anticipate  that 
the  advent  of  the  Society's  centennial  will  show  its  superstructure 
still  firm,  and  worthy  a  Society  formed  to  elevate  and  benefit 
humanity." 

The  annual  report  of  the  finance  committee  showed  its  receipts 
to  have  been  $4,334.14,  and  its  disbursements  $4,241.54.  Balance, 
$92.60. 

The  annual  report  of  the  committee  on  pensions  showed  its 
receipts  to  have  been  $9,064;   its  disbursements  $7,727.  Balance, 


196 


GENERAL      SOCIETY  OF 


[1876 


$1,337.  Relief  had  been  extended  to  seven  members,  sixty-five 
widows,  and  six  children. 

The  annual  report  of  the  school  committee  showed  the  receipts 
from  all  sources  to  have  been  $3,314.04;  the  disbursements, 
$3,246.79.  Balance,  $67.25.  Instruction  in  drawing,  writing,  and 
book-keeping  had  been  given  to  329  pupils. 

The  annual  report  of  the  library  committee  showed  the  receipts 
of  the  Apprentices'  Library  to  have  been :  from  the  treasury, 
$10,000,  and  from  all  other  sources,  $11,241.45;  the  disbursements, 
$10,106.97.  Balance,  $1,134.48.  The  receipts  of  the  I)e  Milt 
Library  were  $849.02  ;  the  disbursements,  $222.66.  Balance, 
$626.36.  The  number  of  volumes  in  the  library,  52,704;  the 
number  of  readers  as  follows :  Apprentices  (gratuitous),  3,439  ;  of 
women  (gratuitous),  2,302;  of  those  paying,  204;  and  of  members, 
147;  total,  6,092.  There  had  been  a  transfer  from  the  De  Milt 
Library  to  the  circulating  department  of  1,831  volumes. 

The  annual  report  of  the  literary  and  scientific  committee  showed 
its  receipts  to  have  been  $2,515.10,  and  its  expenditures  $1,883.99. 
Balance,  $631.11.  Lectures  had  been  delivered  by  Messrs.  W.  C. 
Richards,  Rev.  H.  C.  Potter,  R.  I.  De  Cordova,  A.  A.  Starr, 
Charles  Roberts,  Jr.,  Rev.  H.  M.  Gallaher,  and  Bayard  Taylor. 

The  annual  report  of  the  building  and  sinking  ftind  committee 
showed  the  amount  of  the  fund,  January  1st,  1875,  to  have  been 
$39,561.35.  This  had  been  increased  during  the  year,  by  interest, 
dividends,  and  by  $5,108.37  received  from  the  treasurer,  to  $47,244.44. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  nth,  1876,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year  : 

Havilah  M.  Smith,  President.  Daniel  D.  Wright,  Treasurer. 
Edwin  Dobbs,  Vice-Pres.  Thomas  Earle,  Secretary. 

Henry  L.  Slote,  2d  Vice-Pres.     Enoch  Stratton,  Collector. 


i88o] 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


I97 


At  a  meeting  held  February  2d,  1876,  the  president,  Havilah  M. 
Smith,  Esq.,  delivered  his  inaugural  address.    ( Vide  Appendix.) 

The  finance  committee  presented  their  annual  report,  showing  the 
receipts  to  have  been  from  all  sources,  during  the  year,  $87,060.27; 
the  expenditures,  $31,353.75;  balance,  $55,706.52.  The  assets  were 
$588,481.52;  the  liabilities  were  $7,207.66;  assets  over  liabilities, 
$581,273.86. 

At  a  meeting  held  June  7th,  1876,  a  scholarship  in  the  New- York 
University  was  conferred  on  Frank  E.  Bogart,  son  of  Brother  Philip  E. 
Bogart. 

The  school  committee,  in  their  report,  recommended  the  appoint- 
ment of  Francis  D.  Jackson  to  a  scholarship  in  Columbia  College ; 
which  report  was  accepted,  and  the  recommendation  adopted. 

At  a  meeting  held  October  4th,  1876,  the  president  and  vice- 
president  were  requested  to  confer  with  the  Faculty  of  Columbia 
College,  with  reference  to  the  interest  of  the  Society  in  the  School 
of  Mines  of  that  college.  The  committee  subsequently  reported  an 
interview  with  President  Barnard,  of  the  college,  and  with  Professor 
Chandler,  of  the  School  of  Mines.  It  was  the  opinion  of  President 
Barnard  that  the  privileges  of  the  School  of  Mines  had  already  been 
extended  to  the  scholarships  of  the  Society.  If  not,  action  in  that 
direction  should  be  taken  at  the  next  meeting  of  the  trusiees. 

At  a  meeting  held  January  3d,  1877,  the  treasurer  presented 
his  annual  report,  from  which  it  appeared  that  the  receipts  of  the 
Society  for  the  past  year  had  been  $41,438.03,  and  the  disburse- 
ments, $38,237.18;  balance,  $3,200.85.  The  treasurer,  in  his  report, 
said:  "I  desire  to  claim  no  merit  for  myself  in  the  matter,  while 
stating  that  the  finances  of  the  Society  may  be  truly  said  to  be  in 
a  flourishing  condition  ;  no  loss  or  shrinkage  has  occurred  during 
the  year  just  past,  whilst  the  means  have  been  promptly  furnished, 
and   the  good  work  has   gone  on,  by  the  committees,   of  aiding 


198 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


[1876 


the  stricken  ones,  and  providing  a  rich  mental  feast  by  the  school 
and  library  for  all  the  industrious  young  who  choose  to  avail 
themselves  of  the  same. 

"  A  glance  at  the  report  of  the  building  and  sinking  fund  com- 
mittee shows  that  the  Society  has  been  enabled  during  the  period 
named  to  increase  its  store — not  a  princely  amount,  to  be  sure,  but 
quite  enough  to  form  a  subject  for  sincere  congratulation,  which 
few  societies  or  individuals  can  indulge  in  at  the  present  time. 

"  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  theory  that  has  produced  this  result 
will,  if  faithfully  and  vigilantly  pursued,  ultimately  put  the  Society 
in  a  position  to  leave  its  present  location,  which,  to  some  of  its 
members,  is  a  subject  of  anxiety  ;  but  those  should  remember  that 
this  old  hall  is  held  in  deep  veneration  by  thousands  who  have  been 
made  mentally  strong,  for  the  battle  of  life,  therein,  and  until  the 
time  of  removal  shall  safely  come  around,  must  reflect  that  the  good 
work  done  therein  does  most  surely  sanctify  the  situation." 

The  annual  report  of  the  finance  committee  showed  its  receipts  to 
have  been  $3,092.60,  and  its  disbursements  $2,837. 1 2  ;  balance,  $255.48. 

The  annual  report  of  the  committee  on  pensions  showed  its 
receipts  to  have  been  $9,337;  its  disbursements,  $7,897;  balance, 
$1,440.    The  number  of  pensioners  on  the  roll  was  stated  to  be  85. 

The  annual  report*  of  the  school  committee  showed  the  receipts 
from  all  sources  to  have  been  $3,777.19  I  the  disbursements, 
$3,319.58;  balance,  $437.51. 

The  annual  report  of  the  library  committee  showed  the  receipts 
of  the  Apprentices'  Library  to  have  been  $12,418.67;  its  disburse- 
ments, $11,399.53;  balance,  $1,019.14. 

The  receipts  of  the  De  Milt  Library  had  been  $926.61  ;  the  dis- 
bursements, $262.52  ;  balance,  $667.09. 

The  number  of  volumes  in  the  library  was  55.519;  the  number 
of  readers   for   the  year,   7,417;    the  number  of  volumes  loaned, 


i88o] 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


I99 


146,670.  The  committee  said:  "The  number  of  volumes  in  the 
libraries,  the  number  of  accounts  opened  with  readers,  and  the 
number  of  volumes  circulated  during  the  past  year,  are  each  in 
excess  of  the  figures  and  amounts  reported  in  any  previous  year 
of  the  existence  of  the  libraries  ;  while  the  number  of  unreturned 
books  is  less  than  in  any  previous  year,  notwithstanding  a  largely 
increased  circulation." 

The  annual  report  of  the  literary  and  scientific  committee  stated 
its  receipts  to  have  been  $3,231.11;  its  disbursements,  $1,590.47; 
balance,  $1,640.64.  Lectures  had  been  delivered  by  Messrs.  W.  A. 
Anthony,  Rev.  I.  N.  Pullman,  Wendell  Phillips,  Rev.  C.  S.  Robin- 
son, John  W.  Forney,  and  W.  S.  Andrews. 

The  annual  report  of  the  building  and  sinking  fund  committee 
reported  as  received  from  the  Society  $6,440.57,  and  from  interest, 
dividends,  etc.,  $9,495.95.  The  total  fund  was  reported  to  amount, 
January  1st,  1877,  to  $56,740.39,  distributed  as  follows: 

.United  States  5-20  bonds,   $26,075  .00 

New- York  City  bonds,   I5>333;37 

Jersey  City  bonds,   8,600.00 

In  savings  banks,   6,622  70 

Interest  on  Illinois  bonds,    .   109.32 

$56,740.39 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  9th,  1877,  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 


Edwin  Dobbs,  President. 
Henry  L.  Slote,  Vice-Pres. 
John  R.  Voorhies,  2d  Vice-Pres. 


Daniel  D.  Wright,  Treas. 
Thomas  Earle,  Secretary. 
Enoch  Stratton,  Collector. 


At  a  meeting  held  February  7th,  1877,  the  newly  elected  presi- 
dent delivered  his  inaugural  address.    ( Vide  Appendix.) 


200 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


[1876 


The  finance  committee  reported  the  balance  on  hand  January  1st, 
1876,  with  the  treasurer  and  different  committees,  and  in  the  build- 
ing and  sinking  fund,  to  have  been  $55,706.52.  The  receipts  for 
the  year  were  $41,228.10.  Total,  $96,934.62.  The  expenditures 
were  $31,513.42;  balance,  $65,421.20.  The  assets  of  the  Society 
were  $597,196.20;  the  liabilities,  $7,207.66;  assets  over  liabilities, 
$589,988.54. 

At  a  special  meeting  held  July  25th,  1877,  the  joint  committee 
on  a  new  location  reported:  "That  on  or  about  the  1 6th  of  June, 
ult.,  after  due  consideration  and  mature  deliberation,  they  agreed 
on  behalf  of  the  Society  to  purchase  the  premises,  No.  18  East 
Sixteenth  street,  being  3  7^  feet  in  width  in  front  and  rear,  and 
172^  feet  in  depth  on  the  easterly  side,  and  181  feet  in  depth  on 
the  westerly  side,  for  the  sum  of  $55,500,  subject  to  a  mortgage 
upon  the  same  due  May  1st,  1882,  amounting  to  $40,000,  and 
bearing  interest  at  seven  per  cent,  per  annum ;  that  after  making 
such  arrangements  they  immediately  notified  the  officers  of  the 
Society,  in  order  that  they  could,  -in  compliance  with  the  terms  of 
the  resolution  of  appointment,  complete  the  purchase  thereof,  by 
searching  the  title,  raising  the  money,  and  accepting  the  deed  therefor." 

The  committee  on  the  building  and  sinking  fund  reported  that 
they  had  credited  the  Society  with  the  sum  of  $7,200  drawn  from 
the  treasury,  and  had  charged  the  Society  with  $15,500  used  to 
complete  the  purchase  of  the  property  on  East  Sixteenth  street. 
The  treasurer  reported  that  he  paid  to  the  proper  parties  the  above 
named  sum  of  $15,500,  being  the  amount  in  cash  required  to  com- 
plete the  purchase  of  the  property  at  No.  18  East  Sixteenth  street. 
The  report  of  the  committee  on  location  was  accepted,  and  its  action 
confirmed.  A  resolution  was  then  adopted,  placing  the  sum  of 
$12,000  in  the  hands  of  the  finance  committee  for  making  the  altera- 
tions and  repairs  of  the  building  on  East  Sixteenth  street.    It  was 


i88o] 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


20  I 


ordered  that  the  chairman  of  each  of  the  standing  committees  and 
the  president  of  the  Society  constitute  an  advisory  committee  with 
whom  the  finance  committee  may  consult.  The  thanks  of  the  Society 
were  presented  to  the  committee  on  location,  and  it  was  discharged. 

At  a  meeting  held  September  5th,  1877,  upon  recommendation 
of  the  school  committee,  Richard  Combes  was  appointed  to  a 
scholarship  in  Columbia  College. 

At  a  meeting  held  November  7th,  1877,  upon  motion  of  Brother 
John  R.  Voorhies,  it  was  ordered  that  the  literary  and  scientific 
committee  consider  and  report  upon  the  advisability  of  having 
collated  and  prepared  in  a  suitable  form  for  publication  the  history 
of  the  Society  from  its  organization  to  the  present  time. 

At  a  meeting  held  December  5th,  1877,  Brother  John  R.  Voor- 
hies offered  the  following  resolution,  which  was  adopted : 

"Resolved,  That  the  head-quarters,  library,  reading,  meeting,  and 
school  rooms  belonging  or  attached  to  the  General  Society  of  Me- 
chanics and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New- York  be,  and  hereby  is, 
changed,  located,  and  established,  on  and  after  the  first  Wednesday 
in  January,  1878,  from  No.  472  Broadway  to  and  at  No.  18  East 
Sixteenth  street,  which  said  building  (No.  18  East  Sixteenth  street) 
is  hereby  designated  and  entitled,  for  all  purposes  of  the  Society, 
as  Mechanics'  Hall. 

"Resolved,  That  the  officers  and  the  several  standing  committees 
of  this  Society  be  and  are  hereby  authorized  and  directed  to 
remove  or  cause  to  be  removed,  by  the  first  Wednesday  in  Janu- 
ary, 1878,  or  as  soon  thereafter  as  practicable,  all  books,  maps, 
drawings,  desks,  furniture,  fixtures,  or  other  property  of  value,  or 
so  much  thereof  as  may  be  deemed  necessary  and  requisite,  and 
which  is  or  may  be  in  charge  of  or  under  the  control  of  said 
officers  or  committees,  or  either  of  them,  from  No.  472  Broadway 
to  No.  18  East  Sixteenth  street." 


202 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


[1876 


Brother  William  H.  Gedney  offered  the  following  resolution,  which 
was  adopted  : 

"Resolved,  That  a  committee  be  appointed,  consisting  of  one 
member  of  each  of  the  standing  committees,  with  the  officers  of  the 
Society,  to  make  and  carry  out  the  necessary  arrangements  for 
dedicating  the  new  Mechanics'  Hall." 

The  chair  appointed  the  following  committee  :  William  H.  Gedney, 
G.  J.  Burnet,  Samuel  McCullough,  Oliver  A.  Farrin,  and  the  officers 
of  the  Society. 

The  new  hall  at  No.  18  East  Sixteenth  street,  having  been  com- 
pleted and  furnished,  was  opened  on  the  2d  day  of  January,  1878, 
and  the  Society  assembled  for  its  regular  meeting  therein.  In 
calling  the  meeting  to  order,  the  president  congratulated  the  Society 
upon  its  new  and  commodious  quarters.  He  suggested  that  it 
would  be  becoming  to  return  thanks  for  the  prosperity  of  the 
Society.    Prayer  was  then  offered  by  Brother  Henry  Wilson. 

The  treasurer  presented  his  annual  report,  as  follows  : 


RECEIPTS. 

Balance,  January  ist,  1877,   $3,200.85 

Rent,  Broadway  and  Park  Place,   24,100  00 

"     Chambers  street   3,000  .00 

"     Mechanics'  Hall,   4,000  .00 

Dividends  Mechanics'  National  Bank  stock,  .    .  1,824.75 

Interest  United  States  Securities,  gold,    .    .    .  1,800.00 

"           "         "           "            currency,  .    .  480.00 

Premium  on  gold,   95 .63 

Interest  accrued  on  mortgage   606.66 

"        on  call  loans,   42 .05 

Memberships,   450.00 

Building  and  sinking  fund  on  account  of  pur- 
chase new  Mechanics'  Hall   15,500.00 

Building:  and  sinking  fund  on  account  of  com- 

pletion  new  Mechanics'  Hall   19,000  .00 


$74,099.94 


i88o] 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


203 


DISBURSEMENTS. 


Committees — Pension,   $8,000  00 

Library   9,300  00 

Literary  and  Scientific,  ....  1,000.00 

School,   3,500.00 

"             Building  and  Sinking  Fund,   .    .  7,242  05 
"             Finance,  current  needs,  ....  2,500.00 
"                 "        completion  of  new  Me- 
chanics' Hall,   19,000.00 

New  Mechanics'  Hall  at  purchase,   15,500.00 

Ground  rent,   125  .00 

Taxes  and  Croton  water   1,800.50 

Taxes  on  new  hall,   1,325  00 

Interest  on  mortgage,   1,400.00 

Legal  expenses,   202 .  76 

Officers'  salaries,   800.00 

Janitor  and  door-keeper,   948.00 

Current  expenses,    26  26 

$72,669.57 

Balance  in  treasury   1,430.37 


The  treasurer  said :  "I  am  happy  to  inform  the  Society  that, 
during  the  past  year,  its  current  needs  have  been  promptly  met, 
and  that  no  disaster  to,  or  shrinkage  of,  its  income  of  consequence 
has  occurred.  During  its  recent  important  purchase  and  change 
of  domicile,  through  the  aid  of  the  building  and  sinking  fund,  the 
amount  needed  was  promptly  provided,  and  every  demand  promptly 
met,  and  the  Society  thereby  enabled  to  take  a  step  in  advance, 
which,  for  at  least  a  decade  of  years,  will  enable  it,  bearing  along 
its  banner  of  usefulness  and  benevolence,  to  go  on  its  way  rejoicing. 

"  I  feel  a  confidence  that  good  men  will  always  be  found  ready 
to  lend  their  aid  to  the  laudable  undertakings  of  this  Society,  and 
that  the  pursuance  of  the  same  course  of  vigilance  and  virtue  which 
appears  to  have  marked  its  path  from  the  beginning,  and  which  has 


204  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [^76 

thus  borne  it  onward,  will  insure  its  existence  and  usefulness,  so 
long  as  this  part  of  the  globe  continues  to  be  inhabited. 

"And  while  we  possess  and  enjoy  our  new  and  more  eligible 
home,  let  us  reverence  the  memory  of  those  who  have  gone  before 
us,  whose  active  zeal  and  purity  were  the  primary  cause  of  placing 
this  Society  where  it  now  stands,  in  the  front  rank  of  the  institutions 
of  benevolence  and  usefulness  in  this  metropolis." 

The  annual  report  of  the  finance  committee  showed  its  receipts 
for  the  year  to  have  been  $2,755.48;  its  disbursements,  $2,409.30; 
balance,  $346.18. 

The  annual  report  of  the  committee  on  pensions  showed  its 
receipts  to  have  been  (with  balance  from  last  year)  $9,440;  its 
disbursements,  $7,948;  balance,  $1,492.  It  had  paid  the  sum  of 
$7,870  to  pensioners  of  the  Society,  including  twelve  members, 
sixty-seven  widows,  and  nine  children.  The  number  of  pensioners 
had  not  materially  increased,  and  the  committee  had  therefore 
thought  it  a  duty  to  make  as  liberal  allowances  as  possible. 

The  annual  report  of  the  school  committee  stated  its  receipts  at 
$4,215.50,  and  its  disbursements  at  $2,974.33;  balance,  $1,241.17. 
The  total  number  of  pupils  registered  was  given  as  392,  of  whom 
265  were  employed  at  trades,  representing  nearly  all  branches  of 
mechanical  art;  39  were  clerks,  the  rest  being  at  present  without 
occupation. 

The  annual  report  of  the  library  committee  stated  the  receipts 
of  fhe  Apprentices'  Library  to  have  been  $11,423.70;  its  disburse- 
ments, $10,346.06  ;   balance,  $1,077.64. 

The  receipts  of  the  De  Milt  Library,  including  balance  from  last 
year  of  $667.09,  had  been  $967.09;  disbursements,  $1,001.75; 
balance  due  the  committee,  $34.66.  Number  of  volumes  in  the 
library,  57,897;  number  of  readers,  9,087;  number  of  volumes 
loaned,    172,839.     The  resources  of  the  library  had  been  greatly 


1880]  MECHANICS     AND     TRADESMEN.  205 

taxed  to  deliver  the  unusually  large  number  of  books  called  for, 
sometimes  reaching  1,000  a  day,  and  in  one  instance  amounting  to 
1,254  volumes.  Great  additional  advantages  were  anticipated  from 
the  increased  facilities  offered  the  library  in  its  new  quarters. 

The  annual  report  of  the '  literary  and  scientific  committee 
reported  its  receipts  (with  balance,  January  1st,  1877,  of  $1,640.64) 
to  be  $2,640.64;  its  disbursements  had  been  $1,314.68;  balance, 
$1,325.96.  Lectures  had  been  delivered  during  the  year  by  Rev. 
H.  M.  Gallaher,  Daniel  Dougherty,  C.  S.  Robinson,  Wendell  Phillips, 
and  A.  P.  Burbank.  The  committee  also  reported  a  valuable  and 
interesting  lecture,  delivered  by  the  Hon.  John  T.  Hoffman. 

The  annual  report  of  the  building  and  sinking  fund  committee 
showed  the  total  amount  of  the  fund  to  have  been  $67,824.43,  with 
disbursements  as  follows  :  To  the  treasurer,  on  account  of  the  pur- 
chase of  Mechanics'  Hall,  $15,500;  to  the  treasurer,  on  account  of 
the  completion  of  Mechanics'  Hall,  $19,000;  difference  in  cost  and 
sale  on  United  States  bonds,  $731.25;  difference  in  cost  and  sale 
of  New- York  City  bonds,  $333.37  ;  interest  on  City  bond,  $44.52. 
Amount  of  fund,  January  1st,  1878,  $32,215.29.  The  assets  were 
as  follows  : 

9,000  United  States  5-20,  67's,  at  inyi,  .    .    $10,001  25 


9,000  United  States,  1 88 1,  at  113^,     .    .    .  10,192.50 

3,000  Jersey  City  bonds,  105,   3,150.00 

5,000  Jersey  City  bonds,  109,   5,450.00 

In  Dry  Dock  Savings  Bank,   139.66 

In  Bowery  Savings  Bank   38  .40 

In  bank,   3,243  .48 

$32,215  .29 


"Less  than  seven  years,"  the  committee  said,  "have  elapsed 
since  this  building  and  sinking  fund  was  instituted,  and  only  six 


206 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


[1876 


years  have  passed  since  the  first  appropriation  was  made  for  its 
uses  by  the  Society.  During  that  time,  two  of  its  valued  members 
have  been  removed  by  death;  one  of  whom  was  actively  instru- 
mental in  the  formation  of  this  trust,  and  both  of  them  honored  and 
revered  members  of  the  Society.  Still,  under  Providence,  and  with 
the  cheerful  assent  and  entire  confidence  of  the  Society  in  the  fund 
and  in  its  managers,  the  work  for  which  it  was  called  into  existence 
has  gone  steadily  on  :  all  that  the  Society  could  safely  appropriate 
has  been  carefully  invested  and  kept  in  use.  the  income  thereof, 
and  the  other  fragments  of  income,  carefully  gathered  up  and 
added  thereto,  and  the  result  has  enabled  the  Society  to  secure 
its  new  quarters,  toward  which  it  has  been  for  so  many  years 
looking.  The  labors  of  the  committee  will  not  cease  until  the 
recently  acquired  estate  is  entirely  freed  from  debt ;  and  with 
faithfulness  upon  the  part  of  the  managers,  fanned  by  the  con- 
fiding trust  of  the  Society,  the  day  of  such  freedom  cannot  be  far 
distant." 

The  president,  Edwin  Dobbs,  Esq.,  delivered  an  address  appro- 
priate to  the  occasion.    ( Vide  Appendix.) 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  8th,  1878.  the  following 
officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 


Henry  L.  Slote,  President. 
John  R.  Vdorhies,  Vice-Pres. 
Alexander  Gaw,  2d  Vice-Prcs. 


Daniel  D.  Wright,  Treas. 
Thomas  Earle,  Secretary. 
Enoch  Stratton,  Collector. 


At  a  meeting  held  February  6th,  1878,  Henry  L.  Slote,  Esq., 
the  president-elect,  delivered  his  inaugural  address.  ( Vide  Ap- 
pendix.) 

The  finance  committee  presented  a  report  of  the  cost  of  altering, 
repairing,  and  furnishing  building  No.  18  East  Sixteenth  street,  as 
follows : 


i88o] 


MECHANICS 


AND 


TRADESMEN. 


207 


Cost  of 


11 


it 


11 


i< 


altering  and  building  extension,  . 

heating  apparatus  

shelving  in  library  

partitions  in  school-room,  . 
emblem  in  front  of  building,  . 
furnishing  rooms,  


$14,709.08 
1,900.00 

3-953-50 
300.00 
260.00 


11 


1,513.68 


$22,636.26 


The  committee,  after  speaking  of  the  convenient  and  pleasant 
arrangement  of  all  the  rooms,  said : 

"Several  causes  combine  to  give  your  committee  pleasure  in 
presenting  their  report. 

"  First.  It  gives  the  Society  a  new  hall  in  a  central  location. 

"  Second.  It  sets  at  rest  the  long  agitated  question  of  removal. 

"  Third.  Many  of  the  older  members  who,  for  several  years  past, 
have  been  anxious  to  remove,  but  have  hesitated  lest  the  too  great 
cost  would  cripple  the  usefulness  of  our  institution,  will  feel  that  the 
causes  of  their  fear  are  all  removed. 

"  The  change  we  have  made  will  add  but  a  small  additional 
expense  yearly.  The  rent  from  the  old  building  will  nearly  pay 
the  interest  on  the  new,  and  the  sinking  fund  can,  at  the  same 
time,  be  constantly  increased." 

The  finance  committee  made  a  statement  of  the  financial  con- 
dition of  the  Society,  and  of  its  assets  and  liabilities,  January  1st, 
1878.  There  was  January  1st,  1877,  $107,324.73  in  the  custody  of 
the  various  committees.  The  expenditures  of  the  year  had  been 
$68,230.78.  Balance,  $39,093.95.  The  assets  were  $625,368.95; 
the  liabilities,  including  bond  and  mortgage  on  Mechanics'  Hall 
($40,000),  $47,207.66.    Balance  of  assets  over  liabilities,  $578,161.29. 

The  report  of  the  committee  on  the  dedication  of  Mechanics' 
Hall  was  as  follows  : 

"  Your  committee  on  dedication  or  opening  of  the  new  Hall, 
the   home  of  the   Society,   No.    18    East   Sixteenth    street,  would 


208 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


respectfully  report  that  they  have  carried  out  and  performed  the 
duties  which  were  assigned  to  and  accepted  by  them,  to  the  best 
of  their  ability,  and  hope  and  trust  it  has  met  with  the  concurrence 
and  approval  of  the  Society,  which  we  endeavor  to  please.  Your 
committee  would  also  state  with  feelings  of  great  pleasure  that  all 
remarks  coming  to  their  ears,  in  relation  to  the  opening,  have  been 
such  as  not  only  gratifying  to  hear  to  those  who  are  interested  in 
the  good  and  welfare  of  the  Society,  but  also  to  give  them  redoubled 
energy  in  still  looking  after  that  which  has  been  left  to  us,  and 
passed  through  so  many  years  of  prosperity,  and  which  can  only 
continue  prosperous  by  that  never  lagging  diligence  and  watchful- 
ness that  has  so  well  characterized  it  in  the  past,  and  which  we 
so  well  know  can  be  done  by  the  present  members  for  the  future. 

"  Your  committee  would  further  state  the  publicity  given  to  the 
new  opening,  and  which  your  committee  think  will  be  of  great  benefit 
to  the  Society  in  bringing  it  before  those  to  whom  it  has  been 
unknown  before,  and  in  adding  to  its  ranks,  as  members,  names  that 
will  be  of  lasting  honor  and  benefit  to  the  Society. 

"The  evening  of  January  22d,  from  seven  until  ten  o'clock,  was 
selected  for  the  public  reception.  The  weather  was  mild  and 
pleasant,  the  visitors  numbered  nearly  six  hundred,  all  of  whom 
seemed  well  pleased,  and  were  intellectually  entertained  by  short 
addresses. 

"The  president,  Henry  L.  Slote,  made  the  opening  address, 
followed  by  Chief  Justice  Daly,  Hon.  Silas  P.  Dutcher,  General 
Charles  Roome,  David  H.  Knapp,  Esq.,  Judge  Curtis,  Judge  Gedney, 
and  Thomas  D.  Stetson,  Esq.,  all  received  with  marked  approbation. 

"After  which  the  company  were  ushered  into  the  large  school- 
room, which  had  been  improvised  into  a  semi-restaurant  for  the 
occasion,  where  all  seemed  to  enjoy  with  marked  demonstration  the 
entertainment  there  provided. 


1880]  MECHANICS     AND     TRADESMEN.  200, 

"  The  instrumental  music  furnished  was  a  pleasant  feature  of  the 
entertainment,  interspersed  as  occasion  permitted  during  the  evening. 

"  The  committee  would  respectfully  conclude  their  report  by 
invoking  Him  (to  whom  we  all  look)  to  continue  His  blessing  which 
He  has  so  bountifully  supplied  us  with  in  this  Society,  for  the  youth 
of  our  city,  and  for  the  aged  and  infirm  of  our  membership  and  their 
families." 

Henry  L.  Slote,  president,  spoke  substantially  as  follows : 

"  This  Society  has  contemplated  for  the  past  twenty-five  years 
this  removal,  but  did  not  arrive  at  any  definite  conclusion  until 
about  ten  years  ago,  when  Thomas  Jeremiah,  an  honored  ex- 
president,  suggested  the  idea  of  establishing  a  building  and  sinking 
fund,  which  was  done,  and  Brother  Jeremiah  was  made  chairman 
of  the  building  and  sinking  fund  committee  at  that  time,  and  re- 
mained its  chairman  up  to  the  time  of  his  death,  some  five  years  since. 

"  By  judicious  management  that  fund  accumulated  so,  that  in 
the  year  1877  it  amounted  to  about  $67,000. 

"In  November,  1874,  Vice-President  William  Otis  Munroe 
offered  the  following  resolution,  which  was  adopted,  and  President 
W.  H.  Gedney  appointed  the  committee  in  accordance  therewith : 

"Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  five  members  be  appointed  by 
the  president,  together  with  the  finance  committee,  who  shall  have 
power  to  purchase  suitable  land  for  the  erection  of  a  building  for 
the  use  of  the  '  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the 
City  of  New-York.'  Said  land,  it  was  provided,  should  not  be 
south  of  Fourteenth  street  nor  north  of  Forty-second  street,  and 
between  Seventh  avenue  on  the  west  and  Third  avenue  on  the 
east,  and  to  cost  not  more  than  $200,000.  And  the  proper  officers 
of  the  Society  are  hereby  authorized  and  instructed,  at  their  dis- 
cretion, to  execute  the  necessary  papers  to  complete  the  purchase, 
and  provide  for  the  payment  thereof. 


2IO 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


[1876 


"  From  that  time  until  the  committee  purchased,  there  were 
fifty-five  pieces  of  property  offered,  ranging  in  price  from  $50,000 
to  $450,000. 

"The  library  committee  furnished  a  statement  of  the  residences 
of  readers.  Out  of  5,100  of  these,  3,000  were  below  Fourteenth 
street ;  500  in  Brooklyn,  Williamsburgh,  and  Jersey  City  ;  the  rest 
above  Fourteenth  street,  and  in  Westchester  Count)-. 

"  The  committee  decided  to  locate  within  the  boundary  of 
Fourth  avenue  and  Twenty-third  street  and  Sixth  avenue  and  Four- 
teenth street.  The  committee  made  proposals  for  four  plots  of  land 
within  this  boundary,  all  of  which  were  declined,  and  then  decided 
upon  the  plot  No.  18  East  Sixteenth  street,  which  they  purchased. 

"  The  cost  has  been  less  than  $80,000 ;  which  amount  includes 
the  real  estate,  fitting  up  of  the  library,  the  school-room,  the  altera- 
tions and  additions  to  building,  the  furnishing,  etc.,  complete  as  it 
now  is. 

"The  committee  in  charge  of  the  purchase  and  reconstruction  of 
the  new  Hall  have  not  disturbed,  nor  do  they  propose  to  disturb, 
any  of  the  permanent  funds  of  the  Society. 

"  Of  the  original  members  of  the  committee  on  new  location, 
three  of  them  have  passed  away  from  amongst  us,  Brothers  John 
Palmer,  George  J.  Byrd,  and  A.  F.  Ockershausen." 

It  was  resolved  that  a  committee  of  five  be  appointed  to  consider 
the  alterations  in  the  charter  and  by-laws  referred  to  in  the  presi- 
dent's address. 

At  a  meeting  held  May  1st,  1878,  Brother  John  R.  Voorhies 
presented  a  report  on  the  above  subject,  with  alterations  and 
amendments,  which  received  their  first  reading. 

At  a  meeting  held  June  5th,  1878,  the  literary  and  scientific 
committee,  to  whom  had  been  referred  the  subject  of  compiling 
the  history  of  the  Society,  presented  their  report.    The  report  was 


1880]  MECHANICS     AND     TRADESMEN.  211 

referred  back  to  the  committee,  with  power  to  employ  the  secretary 
or  some  other  person  to  compile  the  history  of  the  Society. 

At  a  meeting  held  November  6th,  1878,  the  new  code  of  by-laws 
was  adopted.    ( Vide  Appendix  P.) 

A  communication  was  received  from  Brother  Daniel  D.  Wright, 
declining  a  renomination  for  the  office  of  treasurer,  but  expressing 
great  personal  interest  in  the  future  prosperity  of  the  Society, 
saying : 

"  Retiring,  finally,  from  the  official  position  which  I  have  so  long 
filled,  it  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  announce  that  the  Society  was 
never  in  sounder  financial  health  than  at  the  present  time,  and  that 
no  bar  to  its  progress  exists  in  that  quarter.  All  the  securities  that 
were  ever  devoted  to  its  current  purposes  remain  intact  and  pro- 
ducing, and  its  real  estate  pours  forth  a  generous  income  in  which 
no  default  seems  likely  to  occur. 

"To  insure  its  continued  existence  and  increased  usefulness,  all 
that  is  required  on  the  part  of  those  called  to  minister  in  its  service, 
is  stern  fidelity,  combined  with  fair  capacity  and  reasonable  devo- 
tion ;  and  those  requisites  to  its  success  seem  assured.  No  member 
of  the  Society  can  fail  to  derive  pleasure  from  the  thought  of  its 
present  eligible  domicile,  and  happy  transit  from  a  neighborhood 
where  by  day  it  had  become  out  of  place  and  unfitting,  and 
where  by  night  murky  darkness,  degradation,  and  immorality  encir- 
cled it,  to  a  neighborhood  especially  fitting.  But  while  the  Society 
dwells  in  the  enjoyment  of  these  things,  let  it  pause  to  remem- 
ber that  the  same  description,  in  a  great  measure,  once  applied 
to  the  old  station  in  Chambers  street,  where  many  of  us  partook 
of  its  literary  treasures,  and  also  to  our  late  location,  which  we,  not 
long  since,  were  all  glad  to  leave. 

"  To  perpetuate  the  present  happy  condition  to  all  time,  the 
Society  has  only  faithfully  to  continue  to  devote  a  generous  part 


♦ 


212  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [1876 

of  its  yearly  income  to  a  sacred  purpose,  to  remain  untouched  and 
growing,  that  when  in  the  far  future  the  dark  day  comes  to  its 
present  felicitous  position,  it  may  be  enabled,  without  falter,  to  keep 
step  to  the  music  of  this  ever-marching  and  migrating  metropolis, 
'onward  and  upward,'  even  though  it  should  ultimately  cause  the 
Society  to  set  up  its  rest,  and  to  unfurl  its  banner  upon  Washington 
Heights." 

At  a  meeting  held  January  14th,  1879,  tne  treasurer  presented 
his  annual  report,  from  which  it  appeared  that  the  receipts  of  the 
Society  for  the  past  year  (including  a  balance  January  1st,  1878, 
of  $1,430.37)  had  been  $84,660.70,  and  the  disbursements,  $76,713,61. 
Balance,  $7,947.09.  With  the  means  furnished  by  the  building  and 
sinking  fund  committee,  and  by  a  mortgage  at  six  per  cent,  interest, 
given  in  the  name  of  the  Society  for  one-half  the  amount,  the  Hall- 
garten  mortgage  on  Mechanics'  Hall  was  fully  paid,  leaving  the 
Society  subject  to  a  yearly  outlay  for  interest  of  $1,200  against 
$2,800,  as  heretofore. 

The  annual  report  of  the  finance  committee  stated  its  receipts  to 
have  been  $3,998;  its  disbursements,  $3,870.91.    Balance,  $127.09. 

The  annual  report  of  the  committee  on  pensions  showed  its  receipts 
(including  $1,492  on  hand  January  1st,  1878)  to  have  been  $8,292. 
Its  disbursements  had  been  $7,590.  Balance,  $702.  The  pension 
roll  showed  1 2  members,  65  widows,  and  7  children.  The  committee 
thus  dwelt  upon  the  nature  of  its  duties. 

"  The  pension  committee  is  almost  coincident  in  its  origin  with 
that  of  the  Society.  Its  object  and  standing  cannot  be  expressed  in 
more  fitting  words  than  those  used  by  one  of  the  presidents  of  our 
Society,  in  an  eloquent  address,  in  which  he  says  of  this  committee: 
1  This  I  look  upon  as  the  committee  of  this  Society,  as  if  it  grew 
out  of,  and  probably  was  the  first  committee.  It  is  our  almoner  to 
distribute  the   funds  of  the    Society  to  indigent   brothers,  to  the 


i88o]  MECHANICS     AND     TRADESMEN.  213 

widows  and  orphans  of  deceased  members,  that  fund  which  they 
themselves  helped  to  accumulate,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  under 
God's  blessing  this  feature  of  our  Society  has  done  more  to  pro- 
mote and  aid  in  our  prosperity  than  any  other  cause  known 
to  us.' 

"  This,  no  doubt,  expresses  the  importance  attached  to  this  com- 
mittee by  the  Society,  and  your  committee,  therefore,  feel  highly 
honored  in  having  entrusted  to  their  care  the  responsible  duties 
devolved  upon  them  as  its  members,  and  they  can  express  their 
gratitude  in  no  better  way  than  by  saying  that  they  have  endeavored 
to  dispense  the  fund  committed  to  them  to  the  best  of  their  ability 
and  judgment,  with  an  eye,  on  the  one  hand,  to  the  interests  of  the 
Society,  and  on  the  other  to  the  relief  of  the  wants  of  the  unfort- 
unate members,  widows,  and  orphans  placed  under  their  control. 

"When  we  look  upon  the  list  of  pensioners,  ever  changing,  yet 
numerically  the  same,  we  are  taught  the  uncertainty  of  all  human 
prosperity,  and  are  deeply  impressed  with  that  which  our  Saviour 
said :    '  The  poor  ye  have  always  with  you.' 

"What  nobler  object  could  this  Society  have  than  that  so  well 
expressed  in  this  motto,  '  To  dry  the  tear  from  misery's  eye,  to 
succor  the  afflicted,  and  to  save  the  sinking  is  our  aim.' " 

The  annual  report  of  the  school  committee  showed  its  receipts 
(including  $1,241.17  on  hand  January  1st,  1878)  to  have  been 
$4,563.68.  Its  disbursements,  including  $2,360.50  for  teachers'  sala- 
ries, and  $1,114.83  for  fitting  up  room,  had  been  $4,191.09.  The 
committee  reported  the  school  to  be  in  a  gratifying  condition  of 
usefulness.  There  were  at  present  325  males  and  69  females  on 
the  roll.  The  classes,  during  the  past  year,  had  numbered  as  follows : 
Free-hand  drawing,  166;  mechanical,  77;  architectural,  40;  book- 
keeping, 42.  In  the  female  department  drawing  from  objects  and 
designing  had  chiefly  received  attention. 


214 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


[1876 


The  annual  report  of  the  library  committee  showed  the  receipts 
from  the  Apprentices'  Library  to  have  been  $12,204.22,  including 
$1,077.64  on  hand  January  1st,  1 878,  and  $10,000  received  from 
the  treasurer.  The  disbursements  had  been  $11,542.56.  Balance, 
$661.66.  The  receipts  of  the  De  Milt  Library  had  been  $300  from 
the  treasurer;  the  disbursements,  $649.72.  Due  treasurer,  $349.72. 
The  number  of  volumes  in  the  library  was  reported  to  be  55,998. 
The  number  of  readers  had  been  7,806.  The  number  of  volumes 
loaned  had  been  128,056.  There  had  been  some  falling  off  from 
the  number  of  readers  during  the  previous  year,  which  was  attrib- 
uted to  the  interruption  occasioned  by  the  removal  of  the  library. 
The  opening  of  the  reading-room  was  adverted  to.  It  was  reported 
to  be  supplied  with  most  of  the  daily  newspapers  and  the  principal 
current  literary  periodicals.  There  was  a  daily  average  attendance 
of  66  readers. 

The  annual  report  of  the  literary  and  scientific  committee 
showed  receipts  (including  a  balance  on  hand,  January  1st,  1878,  of 
$1,325.96,  with  $600  received  from  the  treasurer)  of  $1,925.96.  The 
disbursements  for  lectures  and  the  expenses  had  been  $1,683.38. 
Balance,  $242.58.  Lectures  were  delivered  during  the  year  by 
Bayard  Taylor,  J.  R.  Hawley,  Professor  F.  J.  Sedgwick,  William 
Parsons,  Rev.  R.  S.  Storrs,  General  Edward  E.  Lee,  and  R.  J. 
Burdette. 

The  annual  report  of  the  building  and  sinking  fund  committee 
showed  the  amount,  January  1st,  1878,  on  hand  ($32,215.29)  with 
the  receipts  to  have  been  $35,134.37.  The  disbursements  had  been, 
for  the  completion  of  Mechanics'  Hall,  $3,636.26;  loan  for  current 
expenses,  $400;  savings  banks  to  pay  mortgage,  $1,400;  United 
States  bonds  to  pay  mortgage,  $19,282.50;  loss  on  sale  of  United 
States  bonds,  $911.25.  The  amount  of  the  fund  January  1st,  1879, 
$9,504.36.    This  included  3,000  Jersey  City  bonds  ($105)  $3,150; 


i88o] 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


215 


5,000  of  the  same  bonds  ($109)  $5,450;  deposit  in  savings  banks, 
$904.36.    Total,  as  above,  $9,504.36. 

The  building  and  sinking  fund  committee  trusted  that  "  it  would 
not  be  permitted  to  linger  out  a  sickly  existence,  but  would  hereafter 
be  made  efficient  through  generous  and  regular  appropriations  of  the 
Society." 

The  following  officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year  : 

John  R.  Voorhies,  President.    James  J.  Burnet,  Treasurer. 
Alexander  Gaw,  Vice-Pres.       Thomas  Earle,  Secretary. 
John  Banta,  2d  Vice-Pres.         Enoch  Stratton,  Collector. 

The  installation  ceremonies  then  took  place  in  accordance  with 
the  by-laws. 

At  a  meeting  held  January  15th,  1879,  the  finance  committee 


made  its  annual  report,  as  follows : 

BALANCE     ON     HAND     JANUARY     1ST,     I  878. 

With  Treasurer,  $1,430.37 

Finance  Committee   346.18 

"      Pension         "    1,492.00 

"     School  "    1,241  1 7 

"      Library         "    1,042  98 

"  Literary  and  Scientific  Committee,  .  .  1,325.96 
"      Building  and  Sinking  Fund  Committee,  .    32,215  .29 

$39.093 -95 

Received  by  Treasurer,  $83,230.33 

"         "    Finance  Committee,   3,651.82 

"         "    Pension         "    6,800.00 

"        "    School  "    3,322.51 

"         "    Library         "   11,426.58 

"  "  Literary  and  Scientific  Committee,  600  00 
"         "    Building  and  Sinking  Fund  "  2,919.08 

$111,950.32 

Total,   .    .    .  $151,044.27 


6  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [i 

EXPENDITURES. 

By  Treasurer   $76, 713.61 

"  Finance  Committee   3,870.91 

"  Pension       "          '   7,590.00 

"  School         "    4, 191  09 

"  Library       "    12,157.62 

"  Literary  and  Scientific  Committee,    .    .    .  1,683  .38 

"  Building  and  Sinking  Fund  Committee,  .    .  25,630.01 

$131,836  62 

Balance,  $19,207.65 

ASSETS. 

Amount  with  Treasurer   $7,947  .09 

"              Finance  Committee,   127  .09 

"         "     Pension       "    702.00 

"         "     School         "  ,         .....  372.59 

"         "     Library        "    3 1 1  . 94 

"         "     Literary  and  Scientific  Committee,  242  58 

"         "     Building  and  Sinking  Fund   "     .  9,504.36 

$19,207.65 

Real  Estate  Broadway  and  Park  Place,    .    .    .  $300,000  00 
"       "  "  and  Crosby  street,    .    .     100,000  .00 

"        "      Mechanics'  Hall  80,000  .00 

United  States  securities,   43,000.00 

Mechanics'  National  Bank  stock,  par,  ....      20,275  00 

Books  in  Library,  v  .    .    .    .      40,000  .00 

Leasehold  Chambers  street   2,000  .00 

Total  $604,482.65 

LIABILITIES. 

Due  Library  Fund,   $1,907.66 

"    De  Milt  Library,   5,000.00 

"    interest,   300.00 

"    bond  and  mortgage,      .    .    .  20,000  .00 — $27,207  .66 

Assets  over  liabilities  $577,274  99 


i88o] 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


217 


John  R.  Voorhies,  Esq.,  the  president-elect,  delivered  his  inaug- 
ural address.    (  Vide  Appendix.) 

At  a  meeting-  held  May  7th,  1879,  Oswald  Spier,  grandson  of 
Brother  John  Spier,  was  appointed  to  the  first  vacant  scholarship  in 
Columbia  College. 

Some  changes  were  made  in  the  financial  methods  in  1879,  occa- 
sioned by  the  necessity  which  was  felt  for  a  strict  and  constant 
watchfulness  over  the  funds  of  the  Society.  These  have  been 
referred  to  in  the  alterations  of  the  by-laws  heretofore  mentioned. 
Enlarged  authority  was  given  to  the  auditing  committee  soon  to  be 
appointed  for  the  whole  year,  to  exercise  a  constant  supervision  over 
all  disbursements. 

At  a  meeting  held  January  13th,  1880,  the  treasurer  presented  his 
annual  report,  from  which  it  appeared  that  the  receipts  for  the  year 
past,  from  all  sources,  had  been  $73,926.56,  while  the  disbursements 
left  a  balance  on  hand  of  $14,920.17.  The  treasurer  congratulated 
the  Society  on  its  continued  career  of  financial  prosperity. 

The  annual  report  of  the  finance  committee  showed  the  appropria- 
tion to  have  been  $4,500;  the  drafts  on  the  treasurer,  $4,377.66. 
Unexpended  balance,  $122.34.  In  consequence  of  the  calling  in 
of  the  Government  bonds  held  by  the  Society,  and  the  necessity 
of  reinvestment  at  a  lower  rate  of  interest,  there  had  been  a  con- 
siderable reduction  of  income.  Economy  in  expenditure  was  therefore 
suggested  to  the  several  committees. 

The  annual  report  of  the  committee  on  pensions  showed  the 
appropriation  to  have  been  $8,000;  expenditures,  $5,385.74.  Unex- 
pended balance,  $2,614.26.  The  number  of  persons  on  the  roll 
were  11  members,  57  widows,  and  7  children.  Total,  75.  The 
inquiries  of  the  committee  justified  them  in  the  statement  that  there 
were  many  persons  on  the  roll  whose  circumstances  were  such  as 
to  preclude  the  need  of  aid  from  the  Society.  Some  of  these,  when 
their  attention  was  called  to  the  matter,  declined  to  receive  further 


218 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


aid.  All  of  this  class,  so  far  as  ascertained,  had  been  reported  to 
the  Society,  and  their  names  removed  from  the  roll. 

The  annual  report  of  the  school  committee  showed  the  appro- 
priation to  have  been  $3,500;  the  drafts  on  the  treasurer,  $3,143.11. 
Unexpended  balance,  $356.89.  It  appeared  from  the  report  that 
Mr.  John  C.  Babcock  had  been  appointed  superintendent  in  the 
place  of  Brother  W.  T.  Peterson,  deceased.  Four  new  teachers  had 
been  appointed  for  the  classes.  The  school  had  been  divided  into 
eight  classes,  viz. :  three  graded  classes  in  free-hand  drawing  and 
designing ;  two  classes  in  mechanical  and  machinery  drawing ;  and 
one  female  class  in  free-hand  drawing  and  designing.  There  had 
been  one  class  in  book-keeping  and  penmanship. 

The  annual  report  of  the  library  committee  showed  the  appro- 
priation to  have  been  $10,000;  the  drafts  on  the  treasurer,  $9,784.16. 
Unexpended  balance,  $215.84.  The  number  of  volumes  in  the  library- 
was  59,466.  The  number  of  readers  of  all  classes  had  been  7,894. 
The  number  of  volumes  loaned,  156,261. 

The  annual  report  of  the  literary  and  scientific  committee  showed 
the  appropriation  to  have  been  $2,000;  the  drafts  on  the  treasurer, 
$1,716.40.  The  committee  specially  mentioned  the  lectures  gratu- 
itously delivered  on  "  Our  Great  Metropolis,  its  Growth,  Misgovern- 
ment,  and  Needs,"  by  Mr.  William  Allen  Butler,  and  on  "The 
Corporation,  its  Benefits  and  Evils  as  Benefactor  and  Monopolist," 
by  Mr.  Simon  Stern.  It  was  recommended  that  both  these  lectures  be 
published  for  distribution  among  the  members  and  friends  of  the  Society. 

The  annual  report  of  the  building  and  sinking  fund  committee 
showed  the  total  amount  to  be  $14,545.77. 

The  annual  report  of  the  auditing  committee  declared  the  books 
of  the  Society  to  be  intelligently  kept;  all  the  documents  of  the 
Society  safely  preserved;  and  all  the  securities  properly  recorded  and 
deposited  in  the  vaults  of  the  Safe  Deposit  Company  of  New  York, 
as  follows  : 


1880]  MECHANICS     AND     TRADESMEN,  21Q 


United  States  bonds,  1 88 1,  6's,   $10,000.00 

"   20,000  00 

"          "        1891,   "  ... .   8,000.00 

"         "          "        1907,  4's    5,000.00 


Total  United  States  bonds,  par  value,    ....  $43,000.00 


Also  eight  hundred  and  eleven  shares  Mechanics'  National  Bank 
stock,  par  value,  $20,275. 

There  was  a  cash  balance  on  deposit  on  the  first  of  January,  in 
the  Mechanics'  National  Bank  of  $13,363.47,  and  in  the  Dry  Dock 
Savings  Bank,  of  $1,556.70.  The  total  cash  balance,  January  1st, 
1880,  $14,920.17.  There  were,  also,  in  the  vaults  of  the  Safety 
Deposit  Company,  for  the  benefit  of  the  building  and  sinking  fund, 
as  follows  : 

Jersey  City  bonds,  1906,  7's  $8,000  00 

United  States  bonds,  1907,  4's,   5,000  .00 

Total  in  trust  for  that  fund,  $13,000  .00 

There  was  also  cash  on  deposit  to  the  credit  of  the  fund  in  the 
Dry  Dock  Savings  Bank,  $1,503.43,  and  in  the  Bowery  Savings 
Bank,  $42.34,  making  the  actual  cash  on  hand,  $1,545.;  7. 

The  following  officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year  : 

Alexander  Gaw,  President.         James  J.  Burnet,  Treasurer. 
John  Banta,  Vice-President.        Thomas  Earle,  Secretary. 
John  J.  Tucker,  2d  Vice-Pres.     Enoch  Stratton,  Collector. 

The  president-elect  then  delivered  his  inaugural  address.  ( Vide 
Appendix.) 

At  a  meeting  held  January  21st,  1S80,  the  finance  committee 
reported  on  the  financial  state  of  the  Society,  as  follows  : 


220  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [1876 

BALANCE    ON    HAND    JANUARY    1ST,  I  879. 

With  Treasurer,   $7,947  .09 

"      Committees,   1 » 535  67 

"      Building  and  Sinking  Fund  Committee,  9,504.36 

Received  by  Treasurer,   64,443  .80 

"         by  Building  and  Sinking  Fund  Com- 
mittee  5,641  . 41 

$89,072  .33 

EXPEND  I  TURES. 

By  Treasurer   $59,006.39 

"    Building  and  Sinking  Fund  Committee,   .  600  00 

$59,606.39 

Balance,   $29,465.94 

ASSETS. 

Amount  with  Treasurer,   $14,920  17 

"         "     Building  and  Sinking  Fund  Com- 
mittee,   14,545.77 

Real  estate  Broadway  and  Park  Place,  .    .    .  300,000.00 

"       "            "         and  Crosby  street,     .    .  100,000.00 

"       Mechanics'  Hall,   80,000  00 

United  States  securities,   43,000.00 

Mechanics'  National  Bank  stock,   20,275  .00 

Books  in  library,   40,000.00 

Leasehold  12  Chambers  street,   2,000  00 

$614,740.94 

LIABILITIES. 

Due  Library  Fund,   $1,907  .66 

"    De  Milt  Library,   5,000  00 

"    Interest,   300.00 

Bond  and  mortgage  Mechanics'  Hall,     .    .    .  20,000  .00 

$27,207  66 

Assets  over  liabilities,   $587,533  28 


i88o] 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


221 


At  a  meeting  held  June  2d,  1880,  the  literary  and  scientific  com- 
mittee reported  that  the  lectures  delivered  by  Messrs.  Butler  and 
Stern  had  been  printed  in  accordance  with  a  resolution  of  the  Society. 

The  trustees  of  Columbia  College  about  this  time  withdrew  the 
two  free-scholarships  in  that  institution,  which  the  Society  had 
enjoyed  for  nearly  half  a  century.  The  reasons  for  this  were  satis- 
factory to  all  parties.  The  same  action  was  pursued  by  the  trustees 
toward  other  societies  which  had  enjoyed  similar  advantages.  The 
college  would  still  be  open  to  students  recommended  by  the  Society, 
on  easy  terms. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  January  nth,  1 881,  the  treasurer 


presented  his  annual  report,  as  follows  : 

RECEIPTS. 

Balance  from  last  report,   $14,920.17 

Received  from  Chambers  street  property,  .    .  2,750.00 
"           "     Broadway   and    Crosby  street 

property,   5,000  00 

Received  from  Broadway  and  Park  Place  prop- 
erty,   .    .    .    .                                      .  24,100.00 

Received  from  dividends  Mechanics'  National 

Bank  stock,   1,622.00 

Received  from  interest  on  United  States  1881 

bond,   1,800.00 

Received  from  interest  on  currency  bond,  .    .  480  00 

"  "  "  "  four  percent,  bond,  150.00 
"           "     Knickerbocker   Life  Insurance 

Company,   24-48 

Received  from  memberships,   700.00 

"           "     Library  Committee,    .    .    .    .  1,250.62 

School           "           ....  2 1 1. 5 1 

"          "     Finance         "           ....  1  .00 

"           "     interest  Dry  Dock  Savings  Bank,  36  84 

$53,046.62 


222 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


[1876 


.  DISBURSEMENTS. 

Paid  Finance  Committee  drafts,   $4,439  35 

"     Pension        "           "    5»7oi .  55 

"     School          "           "    3,013.07 

"     Library         "            "    9,988.12 

"     De  Milt  Library,  Committee  drafts,    .    .  280  44 

"     Literary  and  Scientific  "          "         .    .  1,411.45 
"     Building  and  Sinking  Fund  Committee 

drafts,    :   5,000.00 

"     Ground  Rent  12  Chambers  street,     .  125  00 

"     salaries   1,022.00 

"     interest  on  mortgage  Mechanics'  Hall,  .  1,200.00 

"     Safe  Deposit  Company   20.00 

"     printing  lectures,   229.50 

Balance,   20,616 . 14 

$53,046.62 

The  building  and  sinking  fund  committee  presented  its  annual 
report,  as  follows : 

RECEIPTS. 

Balance  January  1st,  1880   $14,545  77 

From  Society   5,000.00 

"     interest  on  Jersey  City  Bonds,     .    .    .  560.00 

"         "        "   U.  S.  four  per  cent,  bonds,  200.00 

From  interest  on  New  York  City  revenue  bonds,  139  73 

"         "      Dry  Dock  Savings  Bank,       .    .  35 .63 

$20,481  .  13 

ASSETS  AT  PAR  VALUE. 

One  United  States  four  per  cent,  bond,     .    .  $5,000  00 

"     New  York  City  revenue,           "       .    .  5,000  .00 

"     Jersey  City  bond,  No.  315,   3,000  .00 

"    408,   3,000.00 

"        "        "       ".       "    407,   1,000.00 

"        "       "        "       "67,   1,000.00 

Interest  Dry  Dock  Savings  Bank,     ....  2,264.06 

"       Bowery  Savings  Bank,   217  .07 

$20,481  13 


i88o] 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


223 


The  auditing  committee  reported  that  they  had  examined  the 
books  of  the  secretary  and  treasurer,  respectively,  and  found  that 
they  were  kept  in  the  usual  form  and  manner.  That  they  found 
that  the  deeds  and  leases  of  the  following  real  estate,  to  wit : 
12  Chambers  street,  238  Broadway,  corner  Park  Place,  472  Broad- 
way and  its  extension  on  Crosby  street,  and  18  East*  Sixteenth 
street,  all  owned  or  leased  by  the  Society,  are  properly  cared 
for. 

That  they  found  the  cash  assets  of  the  Society  to  be  as  follows  : 

Five  United  States  bonds,  due   1881,  six  per 

cent,  interest,  par  value,   $25,000  .00 

Four  United  States  "Pacific"  bonds,  due  1898, 

six  per  cent,  interest,  par  value,  ....  8,000  .00 
One  United  States  bond,  due  1907,  four  per 

cent,  interest,  par  value,   5,000  00 

One  treasury  receipt  for  United  States  bond 

due,  par  value,   5,000  .00 

One  United  States  Trust  Company  receipt  for 

money  deposited  on  call,  two  and  one-half 

per  cent,   10,000  .00 

Eight  hundred  and  eleven  shares  Mechanics' 

National  Bank  stock,  par  value,    .    .    .    .  20,775  .00 

Cash  on  deposit  in  Mechanics'  National  Bank,   .  5,092.32 

"     "      "      in  Dry  Dock  Savings  Bank,     .  1,629  .66 

"     in  the  hands  of  the  Treasurer,     ....  3,893.66 

Making  the  total  cash  assets,  at  their  par  value, 

on  the  31st  December,  1880,  $83,890.64 

The  bonds  and  securities  above  enumerated  were  recorded  in  the 
name  of  the  Society,  and  deposited  in  the  vault  of  the  Safe  Deposit 
Company  of  New  York. 

That  they  had  examined  and  found  to  the  credit  of  the  building 
and  sinking  fund  of  the  Society  the  following  cash  assets  : 


24  GENERAL     SOCIETY     OF  [1876 

Four  Jersey  City  bonds,  due  in  1906,  seven  per 

cent,  interest,  par  value,  $8,000.00 

One  United  States  bond,  due  in  1907,  four  per 

cent,  interest,  par  value,   5,000.00 

One  New  York  City  revenue  bond  on  call, 

three  and  one  half  per  cent,  interest,  par  value,  5,000  00 
Cash  on  deposit  in  Dry  Dock  Savings  Bank,  .  2,264  .06 
"  "  "  in  Bowery  Savings  Bank,  .  .  217  07 
Making  the  total  amount  held  in  trust  for  the 

fund  on  the  3 1st  Dec,  1880,  at  their  par  value,  $20,481  13 

The  following  officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year : 

John  Banta,  President.  James  J.  Burnet,  Treasurer. 

John  J.  Tucker,  Vice-President.  Thomas  Earle,  Secretary. 


Daniel  Herbert,  2d  Vice-Prcs.  Enoch  Stratton,  Collector. 
The  annual  report  of  the  finance  committee  was  as  follows  : 

JANUARY     1ST,  l88o. 


With  Treasurer,   $14,920 .17 

"     Building  and  Sinking  Fund  Committee,  .  14,545.77 
Received  by  Treasurer  during  the  year,    .    .  38,126.45 
"         "    Building  and  Sinking  Fund  Com- 
mittee,   5,935 .36 

$73.527-75 

DISBURSED   BY  TREASURER    DURING   THE  YEAR. 

For  Finance  Committee   $4,439  .35 

"  Pension          "    5, 701  55 

"  School            "    3,013.07 

"  Library           "    9,988 .  12 

"  De  Milt  Library   280.44 

"  Literary  and  Scientific  Committee,  .    .    .  1,411.45 

"  Building  and  Sinking  Fund,    "        ...  5,000  .00 

"  All  other  claims,   2,596.50 

$32,430.48 

Balance,  $41,097.27 


i88o] 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


225 


ASSETS. 

Amount  with  Treasurer,   $20,616.14 

"         "     Building  and  Sinking  Fund,     .  20,481.13 

Real  estate,  Broadway  and  Park  Place,     .    .  300,000.00 

"       "              "           "    Crosby  street,     .  125,000.00 

"       "       Mechanics'  Hall,   80,000  00 

United  States  and  other  securities,  ....  43,000  00 

Mechanics'  National  Bank  stock,  at  par,   .    .  20,275  00 

Books  in  library,   40,000  00 

Leasehold,  No.  12  Chambers  street,     .    .    .  1,187  .50 

$660,559.77 

LIABILITIES. 

Amount  due  Library  Fund,   $1,907.66 

"         "    De  Milt  Library,   5,000.00 

"         "    interest,   300.00 

Bond  and  mortgage  Mechanics'  Hall,    .    .    .  20,000.00 

$27,207  .66 

Balance,   $633,352  .  1 1 


John  Banta,  president-elect,  delivered  his  inaugural  address. 
(Vide  Appendix.) 

The  annals  of  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen 
of  New-York  are  here  closed.  For  a  period  of  little  less  than  one 
hundred  years  it  has  been  doing  the  work  contemplated  at  the  time 
of  its  original  institution.  It  has  relieved  the  unfortunate  poor,  the 
widow  and  the  orphan.  Fast  as  its  financial  resources  permitted,  it 
has  extended  its  usefulness  by  sustaining  a  library,  reading-rooms, 
and  a  school,  all  open  without  pecuniary  charge,  and  dedicated  to 
the  culture  of  the  youthful  operatives  of  the  city.  The  library  has 
grown  to  considerable  proportions,  even  when  compared  with  more 
distinguished  collections  of  the  kind  throughout  the  country.  It  now 
contains  sixty  thousand  volumes,  and  the  number  is  destined  to 
increase,  and  to  amply  supply  the  reading  wants  of  working-boys  and 


226 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


[1876 


twirls,  as  well  as  those  of  members  of  the  Society.  All  the  best 
popular  periodicals  of  the  clay  are  provided.  While  the  Society's 
school  was  needed  it  was  carefully  fostered  and  sustained,  and  the 
work  was  continued  until  the  adoption  of  an  excellent  public  school 
system  rendered  it  no  longer  necessary.  The  Society  then  directed 
its  energies  to  the  establishment  of  a  special  free  school,  in  which 
mechanical,  architectural,  and  free-hand  drawing  should  be  taught. 
This  is  still  flourishing,  and  is  particularly  valuable  to  apprentices, 
and  to  girls  wishing  to  study  object-drawing  and  designing.  Free 
scholarships  in  the  University  of  the  City  of  New- York  are  still 
within  the  gift  of  the  Society.  The  lecture  courses  for  members  and 
their  families  are  still  continued. 

The  benevolent  operations  of  the  Society  have  never  been 
suspended.  And  so  it  has  continued  in  its  career  of  usefulness, 
from  the  day  of  small  things,  when  it  met  in  an  inn  in  the  lower 
part  of  the  city,  kept  by  Walter  Heyer,  until  now  it  has,  for  the 
present,  found  an  abiding-place  in  its  own  handsome  and  com- 
modious Hall. 

New-York,  with  so  much  of  whose  best  history  the  Society  is 
identified,  now  numbers  one  million  and  a  quarter  of  inhabitants, 
mainly  an  industrious  and  prosperous  people.  In  spite  of  a  consid- 
erable foreign  element,  many  of  the  old  Knickerbocker  traits  are 
still  observable  ;  there  is  much  of  the  old  energy,  industry,  honesty, 
and  thrift.  Public  and  private  edifices  give  evidence  of  the  skill  and 
abilities  of  New-York  mechanics.  Our  merchants  sustain  a  reputa- 
tion for  integrity  and  fair  dealing ;  our  commercial  transactions 
extend  to  every  quarter  of  the  globe ;  ere  long  New- York  may  be 
found  the  business  and  the  money  center  of  the  world. 

We  have  a  proud  roll  of  membership.  Our  catalogue  shows 
the  names  of  those  who,  in  their  day  and  generation,  were  foremost 
in  the  ranks  of  good  and  true  men.    May  those  who  occupy  their 


1880]  MECHANICS     AND     TRADESMEN.  227 

places  continue  the  work  which  was  begun  by  them,  and  prove 
worthy  pf  such  an  ancestry. 

May  the  future  of  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Trades- 
men be  worthy  of  its  honorable  past !  That  is  at  least  secure,  as 
these  pages  will  testify. 

May  the  next  historian  of  the  Society  find  his  task  even  richer 
in  suggestion  and  more  glorious  in  its  records ! 


APPENDIX  A. 


BY-LAWS  AND  ORDINANCES. 

A  Law  concerning  the  meetings  of  the  Society  and  the  election  of  Officers. 

BE  IT  ORDAINED,  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the 
City  of  New-York,  That  the  annual  meetings  of  this  Society  shall  be  held  at  the 
dwelling-house  of  the  late  Mary  Amory,  in  the  sixth  ward  of  the  City  of  New- York,  until 
a  more  suitable  place  be  provided. 

And  be  it  further  ordained,  That  when  the  members  are  met  as  aforesaid,  the 
President  (or  in  case  of  his  absence,  death,  or  removal  from  office),  the  Vice-President,  or 
in  case  of  his  absence,  the  second  Vice-President,  shall,  before  the  hour  of  eleven  a.  m., 
call  the  members  to  order,  who  shall  thereupon  proceed  by  ballot  to  the  choice  of  their 
officers  for  the  ensuing  year;  and  that  such  persons  who  may  have  a  n  jority  of  votes, 
shall  (by  a  committee  of  three,  to  be  previously  elected  by  the  Society,  to  canvass  and 
estimate  the  same)  be  declared  duly  elected,  and  shall  thereupon  enter  on  the  duties  of 
their  respective  offices  accordingly. 

Nevertheless,  it  is  here  to  be  understood,  that  when  a  new  Treasurer  is  chosen,  his 
predecessor  in  office  shall  be  allowed  (not  exceeding)  thirty  days,  to  adjust  and  settle  all 
such  affairs  of  the  Society  as  come  within  the  duties  of  his  office,  previous  to  his  delivering 
his  trust  into  the  hands  of  his  successor. 

And  be  it  further  ordained,  That  it  shall  and  may  be  lawful  for  this  Society  to  meet 
on  the  first  Wednesday  in  every  month,  at  half  an  hour  after  the  setting  of  the  sun,  at  the 
place  aforesaid,  for  the  purpose  of  balloting  for  such  persons  who  have  been  proposed,  and 
may  wish  to  become  members  of  this  Society,  and  to  initiate  those  who  have  been  elected 
members ;  and  also  to  do  and  transact  all  such  other  matters  and  things  as  the  interest  of 
the  Society  shall  from  time  to  time  require. 


232 


GENERAL      SOCIETY  OF 


And  he  it  further  ordained,  That  whenever  seven  members  shall  deem  it  expedient  to 
have  a  special  meeting,  the  same  shall  be  signified  by  them  in  writing  to  the  President  for 
the  time  being,  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  call  the  same,  by  directing  the  Secretary  to  give 
at  least  three  days'  notice  in  three  of  the  public  newspapers  printed  in  this  city. 

And  be  it  further  ordained,  That  if  any  vacancies  shall  happen  among  the  officers  of 
this  Society,  by  death,  resignation,  or  removal,  such  vacancies  shall  be  filled  for  the 
remainder  of  the  year  in  which  they  may  happen,  by  a  special  election  for  that  purpose, 
to  be  held  in  the  same  manner  as  the  annual  elections  are ;  that  the  time  for  such  election 
shall  be  at  one  of  the  stated  meetings  of  the  Society,  not  less  than  two,  or  more  than  three, 
months  after  such  vacancies  shall  or  may  happen;  that  one  week's  notice  thereof  shall  be 
given  by  order  of  the  presiding  President,  in  two  or  more  of  the  public  newspapers  printed 
in  this  city. 

A  Law  to  regulate  the  admission  of  such  persons  as  may  apply  to  become  members  of  tlii-  Society. 

Be  it  ordained,  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of 
New-York,  That  every  person  who  may  be  hereafter  chosen  a  member  of  this  Society 
agreeable  to  the  charter,  the  President,  who  may  then  fill  the  chair,  shall,  in  such  mode  and 
form  as  the  Society  shall  direct,  receive  such  person,  and  on  his  paying  into  the  hands  of 
the  Treasurer  five  dollars,  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  a  fund,  to  be  applied  to  such 
purposes  as  the  charter  directs,  shall  thereupon  insert  his  name  in  the  Register  of  this 
Society,  and  he  shall  be  entitled  to  all  the  privileges  and  benefits  arising  therefrom. 

And  be  it  further  ordained,  That  every  person  who  may  hereafter  be  elected  a 
member  of  this  Society,  shall,  within  three  months  thereafter,  apply  for  the  purpose  of 
being  initiated;  and  in  case  any  person  so  elected  shall  neglect  to  apply  within  the  time 
aforesaid,  in  order  to  be  initiated,  the  election  of  every  such  person  shall  by  such  neglect 
become  void. 

And  be  it  further  ordained,  That  every  person  who  may  hereafter  be  proposed  to 
become  a  member  of  this  Society,  and  on  whose  election,  upon  counting  the  ballots  or 
balls,  it  shall  appear  that  more  than  one-third  were  against  his  admission,  such  person 
shall  not  within  six  months  thereafter  be  again  proposed  for  the  purpose  aforesaid. 

And  be  it  further  ordained.  That  the  art  or  trade  of  every  person  hereafter  to  be 
proposed  as  a  member  of  this  Society,  shall  be  entered  by  the  Secretary  on  the  minutes  of 
the  meeting  at  which  such  proposition  is  made ;  and  the  Society  shall  in  no  case  proceed 
to  ballot  for  any  person  as  a  member  until  he  is  recommended  by  at  least  two  members 
speaking  to  his  character,  as  it  relates  to  industry,  honesty,  and  sobriety,  and  unless  one 
of  the  persons  who  proposed  him  be  present. 

And  be  it  further  ordained,  That  all  foreigners  previous  to  their  admission  shall 
become  citizens  of  the  United  States ;  and  no  person  shall  be  admitted  unless  he  resides 
within  the  City  and  County  of  New-York,  and  shall  have  arrived  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  years. 

A  Law  to  regulate  the  Monthly  Contributions. 

Be  it  ordained,  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of 
New-York,  That  every  member  of  the  Society  shall  pay  into  the  hands  of  the  Treasurer 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


233 


one-eighth  of  a  dollar  monthly,  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  a  general  fund,  to  be  appro- 
priated as  the  charter  directs. 

And  be  it  further  ordained,  That  if  any  member  shall  neglect  or  refuse  to  pay  his 
monthly  contributions  for  six  months  successively,  he  shall  be  waited  on  by  the  Treasurer, 
who  shall  give  notice  thereof  to  the  Society  as  soon  after  as  possible.  If,  in  the  opinion  of 
the  Treasurer,  he  be  in  indigent  circumstances,  the  Secretary  shall  then  hand  his  name  to 
the  overseers  of  the  poor,  who  shall  wait  on  the  member  so  reported,  to  know  the  cause  of 
his  delinquency,  and  if  it  appears  (to  their  satisfaction,  and  to  the  Society,  before  whom  the 
overseers  shall  lay  his  case  at  the  next  stated  meeting)  that  his  circumstances  would  not 
permit  his  paying  his  monthly  contributions,  then  the  Secretary  shall  note  it  in  the  Society 
Book  for  their  future  consideration  ;  but  if  it  appears  that  the  deficiency  arises  from  any 
other  cause,  and  that  he,  the  said  member,  declines  paying  his  monthly  dues  for  three 
months  longer,  then  his  name  shall  be  struck  off  the  register  of  this  Society,  and  he  be 
expelled  and  debarred  from  any  of  the  privileges  belonging  to  the  members  thereof. 

And  be  it  further  ordained,  That  if  any  member  removes  from  this  city,  and  does  not 
cause  his  monthly  contributions  to  be  paid  in  twelve  months  thereafter,  the  Treasurer  shall 
then  report  him  to  the  Society,  and  his  name  shall  be  struck  off  the  register,  and  he  be 
debarred  the  privileges  belonging  to  the  members  thereof. 

A  Law  to  direct  the  appropriation  of  the  funds  of  this  Society. 

Be  it  ordained,  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of 
New- York,  That  as  it  is  a  leading  motive  of  this  Society  to  relieve  the  distressed  of  its 
members  that  may  fall  in  want  by  sickness  or  other  misfortunes,  every  such  person  having, 
previous  to  such  sickness  or  misfortune,  been  a  regular  member  for  the  space  of  two  years, 
shall  be  entitled  to  receive  such  sum  or  sums  as  the  Society  shall  direct,  by  an  order,  signed  by 
the  President,  or  one  of  the  Vice-Presidents,  who  may  preside  at  the  time  the  order  is  made. 

And  be  it  further  ordained,  That  in  the  event  of  the  death  of  any  member  of  this 
Society,  the  widow,  orphan,  or  orphans  of  such  member,  shall  be  entitled  to  receive  assist- 
ance from  the  Society,  agreeable  to  the  same  regulations  by  which  members  themselves 
receive  it. 

And  be  it  further  ordained,  That  four  members  of  this  Society  shall,  at  every  annual 
meeting,  be  elected  as  overseers  of  the  indigent  of  this  Society,  whose  business  it  shall  be 
to  inspect  into  the  circumstances  of  every  member,  or  of  the  widow,  orphan,  or  orphans 
of  any  deceased  member  who  may  apply  for  relief,  and  report  such  cases  in  writing  to  the 
Society  for  their  consideration. 

A  Law  respecting  the  Seal  and  Plate  for  Certificates  of  this  Society. 

Be  it  ordained,  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of 
New-York,  That  there  shall  be  a  seal  provided  by  the  Society,  emblematical  of  its  institu- 
tion, with  such  device  as  shall  be  agreed  on  by  the  Society ;  the  same  to  be  kept  by  the 
Secretary,  for  the  purpose  of  sealing  all  certificates  of  admission,  and  other  transactions 
whereunto  it  is  proper  a  seal  should  be  affixed,  in  order  that  the  whole  of  its  acts  and  pro- 
ceedings may  be  regularly  authenticated. 


234 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


Be  it  further  ordained,  That  the  seal  of  this  Society  shall  not  be  affixed  to  any  instru- 
ment of  writing,  for  any  purpose  whatsoever  (except  the  certificate  of  admission),  at  any 
other  time  or  place  than  at  a  regular  meeting  of  this  Society. 

Be  it  further  ordained,  That  there  shall  be  a  plate  engraved  for  the  purpose  of  striking 
off  the  certificates  of  admission ;  that  each  member  shall  be  entitled  to  a  certificate,  which 
shall  be  presented  to  him  by  the  Secretary,  dated  from  the  commencement  of  his  member- 
ship, free  from  any  cost  or  expense,  at  any  time  not  exceeding  two  months  from  the  time 
he  was  initiated. 

A  Law  to  ascertain  the  duties  of  the  Treasurer. 
Be  it  ordained,  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of 
New-York,  Tliat  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Treasurer,  from  time  to  time,  to  receive  all  the 
initiation  fees  and  collect  all  the  monthly  contributions ;  and  also,  such  donations  that 
may  at  any  time  be  presented  to  the  Society.  He  shall  pay  all  specific  orders  drawn  on 
him  by  the  Society  and  signed  by  the  presiding  President ;  he  shall  suffer  no  unnecessary 
delays  in  payment  to  the  discredit  of  the  Society ;  he  shall  keep  all  the  accounts  relating 
to  this  business,  fair  and  accurate ;  he  shall  at  every  quarterly  meeting  report  a  state  of  the 
finances  and  funds,  and  subjoin  his  account  thereunto,  which  shall  be  for  the  inspection  of 
the  Society. 

And  be  it  further  ordained,  That  whenever  a  Treasurer  is  elected,  he  shall,  before  he 
enters  on  the  duties  of  his  office,  give  bond,  with  two  sufficient  sureties,  in  the  sum  of  two 
thousand  dollars,  for  the  faithful  performance  of  the  duties  of  his  office. 

And  be  it  further  ordained,  That  the  Treasurer  shall  be  allowed  for  his  services,  five 
per  cent,  on  all  initiation  fees,  on  all  monthly  contributions,  and  on  all  interest — which 
five  per  cent,  shall  be  considered  as  a  full  compensation  for  his  services,  and  which  it  may 
be  lawful  for  him  to  retain  in  his  hands. 

A  Law  to  ascertain  the  duties  of  the  Secretary. 
Be  it  ordained,  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of 
New-York,  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Secretary  to  attend  every  meeting  of  the 
Society  (except  he  be  sick  or  out  of  town) ;  he  shall  keep  minutes  of  all  their  proceedings, 
and  regularly  record  the  same ;  he  shall  provide  and  keep  a  book  wherein  each  member's 
name  shall  be  inserted,  in  their  order,  and  in  such  manner  that  it  may  at  first  view  appear 
when  each  member  was  admitted,  expelled,  or  when  died  ;  which  book  shall  be  the  register 
of  this  Society. 

And  be  it  further  ordained,  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Secretary  to  cause  notice 
to  be  given  of  the  annual  and  quarterly  meetings  of  this  Society,  in  not  more  than  three  of 
the  public  newspapers  printed  in  this  city,  three  days  previous  to  each  meeting. 

And  be  it  further  ordained,  That  the  Secretary  shall  be  allowed  for  the  aforesaid 
services  twenty  dollars  per  annum. 

A  Law  to  ascertain  the  duty  of  the  President  in  the  absence  or  inability  of  the  Secretary. 

Be  it  ordained,  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of 
New-York,  That  in  the  absence  or  inability  of  the  Secretary  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the 
President  for  the  time  being  to  appoint  a  member  to  officiate  in  his  place. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


235 


A  Law  to  regulate  the  loaning  of  the  money  of  this  Society. 

Be  it  ordained,  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New-York,  That  the  Society  shall  at  every  annual  meeting  elect,  by  ballot,  a  committee 
of  five  members,  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  attend  to  the  loaning  of  the  money  of  this 
Society.  That  when  application  is  made  to  the  Society  for  money,  a  majority  of  the 
members  of  the  committee  on  examining  the  property  offered  to  be  mortgaged,  and  finding 
it  agreeable  to  the  regulations  in  the  following  clause,  shall  have  power  to  loan  the  same. 

And  be  it  further  ordained,  That  no  money  shall  be  loaned  out  by  the  Society,  unless 
the  borrower  lives  (and  the  real  property  to  be  mortgaged  be  situated)  within  the  City  and 
County  of  New- York  ;  and  unless  the  real  property  offered  to  be  mortgaged  be  twice  the 
value  of  the  sum  to  be  loaned. 

And  be  it  further  ordained,  That  in  case  there  should  be  more  than  one  applicant 
at  the  same  time,  for  any  sum  that  may  be  in  the  hands  of  the  Treasurer,  it  is  hereby 
made  the  duty  of  the  President  to  determine  by  lot  which  of  the  applicants  shall  have 
the  preference ;  but  the  members  of  this  Society  shall  have  the  preference  of  all  other 
applicants  for  any  money  to  be  loaned. 

And  be  it  further  ordained,  That  on  the  first  meeting  after  the  loaning  of  any  monies, 
this  committee  shall  report  to  the  Society  a  regular  account  of  their  proceedings. 

RULES  OF  ORDER. 

1.  On  the  appearance  of  a  quorum  the  President  shall  take  the  chair,  and  the 
members  shall  be  called  to  order. 

2.  Immediately  after  the  President  shall  have  taken  the  chair,  the  minutes  of  the 
preceding  meeting  shall  be  read  by  the  Secretary,  that  any  mistakes  therein  may  be 
corrected  by  the  Society. 

3.  The  President  shall  preserve  order  and  decorum,  and  decide  questions  of  order, 
subject  to  an  appeal  to  the  Society. 

4.  The  President  shall  not  vote  in  any  case,  unless  the  Society  be  eqt  lly  divided. 

5.  When  the  Society  adjourns,  the  members  shall  keep  their  seats  until  the  President 
leaves  the  chair. 

6.  Every  member  wishing  to  speak  shall  rise  from  his  seat  and  address  himself  to  the 
President ;  and,  unless  conscientiously  scrupulous,  shall  be  uncovered. 

7.  When  two  or  more  members  rise  at  once,  the  President  shall  name  the  member 
who  is  first  to  speak. 

8.  No  member  shall  speak  more  than  twice  to  the  same  question,  until  he  shall  have 
obtained  leave  from  the  Society. 

9.  No  motion  shall  be  debated  or  put  unless  the  same  be  seconded.  When  a  motion 
is  seconded,  it  shall  be  stated  by  the  President  before  debate,  and  every  such  motion  shall 
be  reduced  to  writing,  if  the  President  or  any  five  members  desire  it. 

10.  After  a  motion  is  stated  by  the  President,  it  shall  be  deemed  to  be  in  possession 
of  the  Society ;  but  may  be  withdrawn  at  any  time  before  decision  or  amendment. 


236 


GENERAL      SOCIETY  OF 


11.  When  any  question  is  under  debate  no  motion  shall  be  received,  unless  to  amend 
it  or  to  postpone  it  to  a  certain  day,  for  the  previous  question,  or  to  adjourn. 

12.  The  previous  question,  until  it  is  decided,  shall  preclude  all  amendment  and  debate 
of  the  main  question;  and  shall  be  in  this  form  —  Shall  the  main  question  be  now  put  ? 

13.  A  motion  to  adjourn  shall'  be  always  in  order,  and  shall  be  decided  without 
debate. 

14.  No  member  shall  speak  more  than  once  upon  a  previous  question. 

15.  Petitions,  memorials,  and  other  papers  addressed  to  the  Society,  shall  be  presented 
by  the  President,  or  by  a  member  in  his  place. 

16.  Whilst  the  President  is  putting  a  question  no  member  shall  walk  out  of,  or  across, 
the  room ;  nor  when  a  member  is  speaking  shall  any  one  entertain  private  discourse,  or 
pass  between  him  and  the  chair. 

17.  Every  bill  shall  receive  three  several  readings,  previous  to  its  being  passed;  the 
second  and  third  reading  shall  be  at  different  meetings,  unless  the  Society  unanimously 
direct  otherwise. 

18.  All  questions  in  the  Society  shall  be  put  in  the  order  they  were  moved;  except 
that  in  filling  up  blanks,  the  largest  sum  and  longest  time  shall  be  first  put. 

19.  When  a  bill  passes  the  Society  the  President  shall  sign  the  same,  with  the  date 
thereof,  at  the  foot  of  the  bill,  and  the  Secretary  countersign  it. 

20.  The  order  of  the  day  shall  have  preference  to  any  motion  before  the  Society. 
Passed  the  4th  day  of  April.  1798. 


(attest.) 


James  Tylee,  President. 
Wm.  Whitehead,  Secr'y. 


MEMBERS'  NAMES. 


N.  B. — Those  marked  thus  *  are  the  names  of  deceased  members. 


Joseph  Jadwin, 
William  Allen, 
*  Dennis  M'Ready, 
Anthony  Post, 
John  Burger, 
John  Stagg, 
Thomas  Ivers, 
William  I.  Elsworth, 
Robert  Hodge, 
John  Moore, 
Joseph  Cheeseman, 
John  Sidell, 
James  Brown, 
John  Goodeve, 
Jacob  I.  Arden, 
George  Messerve, 


David  Man, 
*  Jacob  Arden, 


*  Jacob  Pozer, 
Abraham  Polhemus, 


George  Warner, 
Gerardus  Smith, 
John  Campbell, 
James  M'Cullen, 
Abraham  Russel, 
Nicholas  N.  Anthony, 
George  Gosman, 
George  Lindsay, 
Caleb  Haviland, 
James  Tylee, 
John  Mills, 
*  Frederick  Stymets, 
Malcom  M'Euen, 
Edward  Watkeys, 


*  John  Cammerdener, 


Walter  Bicker, 
William  Bryar, 
Thomas  Allen, 
Thomas  Stevenson, 
James  Robinson, 
Peter  Cole, 
Thomas  Hazard, 
Francis  Childs, 
Michael  Brooks, 
Jotham  Post, 


*  Daniel  Stanbury, 


John  Striker, 
Frederick  Resler, 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


237 


William  Wright, 
Edward  Patten, 
Richard  Cunningham, 
Abraham  Bloodgood, 
Anthony  Ogilvie, 
John  Burger,  Jr., 
Joseph  Newton, 
Richard  Davis, 
John  Els  worth, 
Thomas  Greenleaf, 
Gardiner  Baker, 
Thomas  Lefoy, 
James  Warner, 
John  Utt, 
Stephen  Smith, 
Daniel  Hitchcock, 
Anthony  Simmons, 
Peter  R.  Maverick, 
Jacob  Sherred, 
James  Teller, 
James  Van  Dyck, 
Walter  Degraw, 
John  M'Comb,  Jr., 
George  Peek, 
John  Brower, 
Thomas  Bruen, 
James  Moore, 
George  Seal, 
Andrew  Morris, 
James  Byrne, 
George  Speth, 
Ahasuerus  Turk, 
John  Clitz, 
Peter  Bertine, 
Thomas  Timpson, 
Seabury  Champlin, 
John  Crolius,  Jr. 
Nathaniel  Woodward, 
Cornelius  B.  Sebring, 
George  Pick, 
Benjamin  Williamson, 
James  D.  Bissett, 
John  Gilmore, 


Gabriel  Furman, 
John  Van  Dyk, 
Elbert  Anderson, 
John  M'Bain, 
Jabez  Halsey, 
Thomas  Brown, 
Alexander  Peacock, 
John  Wright, 
John  Ming, 
Aaron  Howell, 
Jacob  Hallett, 
*  Daniel  Ruckel, 
Seth  R.  Kneeland, 
Robert  M'Dowel, 
Robert  Gosman, 
William  Foord, 
Obadiah  Helme, 
James  Culbertson, 
Peter  M'Eachan, 
Daniel  Tooker, 
John  Banks, 
John  Norman, 
Andrew  Wright, 
Alexander  Gibson, 
Jacob  Arnold, 
James  Hays, 
Evert  Bush, 
Philip  K.  Lawrence, 
John  W.  Hardenbrook, 
Garret  Walgrove, 
Kamp  Ayrs, 
John  Harrison, 
John  Minuse, 
Edward  Ming, 
Leonard  Rogers, 
Henry  Ackerman, 
Cornelius  Timpson, 
Frederick  Maybie, 
Henry  Burtsell, 
Charles  Warner, 
John  Patten, 
John  P.  Roome, 
Owen  Jones, 


*  Josiah  Furman, 
Henry  Ortly, 
Jacob  P.  Roome, 
Jeremiah  Wool, 
Abraham  Brower, 
Edward  Day, 

*  George  Stanton,  Jr.. 
Peter  Garbrance, 
Peter  Amerman, 
Israel  Haviland, 
Benjamin  Benson, 
Joseph  Lyons, 
John  Miller, 
John  Fawpell, 
James  Brard, 

John  Day, 
Adam  Fink, 
Alexander  Fink,  Jr., 
John  Post, 
John  Read, 

Abel  W.  Hardenbrook, 
Samuel  Wright, 
Robert  Cocks, 

*  Jeremiah  Wood, 
Jonas  Utt, 

Wm.  Gilbert  Miller, 
Samuel  Burling, 
Edward  Wade, 
Eleazer  Little, 
John  Slii  'ill, 
James  Hallett, 
John  Peshine, 
Charles  Hedenberg, 
John  B.  Dash,  Jr., 
Christopher  Halsted, 
Jacamiah  Akerly, 
Samuel  L.  Whitlock, 
Timothy  Nostrand, 
James  Weeks, 
John  Lent, 
William  Weeks, 

*  Henry  Whitfield, 
Theodorus  Deforest, 


238  < 

William  Humphreys, 
Robert  Johnston, 
Gilbert  Brush, 
James  Scott, 
Robert  Brown, 
James  M'Cready,  Jr., 
Simeon  A.  Bayley, 

*  Garret  Schanck, 
William  Dally, 
Cornelius  King, 
Stephen  Allen, 
Andrew  M'Cready, 
Philip  Dally, 
David  Baker, 
James  Woodruff, 
Isaac  Varian, 
John  Moffit, 
Sampson  A.  Myers, 
Daniel  Van  Voorhis, 

*  John  Robertson, 
John  Waldron, 
William  H.  Ireland, 
Robert  G.  Giles, 
John  Rose, 
William  Rollinson, 
William  Kumbel, 
Judah  Myers, 
Simon  Van  Antwerp, 
Garret  Cozine, 
Mathias  Valentine, 
Abraham  Child, 
Benjamin  Haight, 
John  Elliot, 
William  Brown, 
Augustus  Wright, 
Peter  Bourdet,  Jr., 
Stephen  Hitchcock, 
Richard  Furman, 
William  Quick, 
Garret  De  Bow, 
Samuel  Delamater, 
Thomas  Ferdon, 
Anthony  Brown, 


NERAL  SOCIETY 

Peter  Walker, 
John  Ashfield, 
Albert  Smith, 

*  Ahasuerus  Turk,  Jr.. 
Samuel  Machett, 
Abraham  Lazalere, 
Nathaniel  Harned, 
Isaac  Ketchell, 
James  Jinkins, 
Elias  Billington, 
George  Ritchie, 
Philip  Ruckel, 
James  Duffie, 
Jacob  Keyser, 
William  King, 
Stephen  Carpenter, 
John  Gould, 
William  Wendover, 
George  M'Koy, 
William  Rutledge, 
John  Bogart, 
Francis  Many, 
John  Morris, 
Samuel  Brown, 
Henry  Couenhoven, 
James  Ronalds, 
William  Wii.less, 
Paul  Van  Der  Voort, 
William  Wood, 
Augustus  Crygier, 
Isaac  Tor-Boss, 
Mott  Hicks, 

Jonas  Humbert, 
Henry  Mitchell, 
Joel  Post, 
Jonas  Mapes, 

*  James  Aymar,  Jr., 
Nathaniel  Browne, 
Archibald  MTntire, 
Evert  Duyckinck, 
Christopher  Gollow, 
Matthew  West, 
Hazel  Myers, 


John  Cheeseman, 
Jacob  Morris, 

*  JOSIAH   G.  PlERSON, 

John  Burt, 
Abraham  Labagh, 
Peter  H.  Wendover, 
John  Brown, 
Jacob  Germond, 
Andrew  S.  Norwood, 
Nicholas  Morris, 
John  Sproson, 
Abraham  C.  Brower, 
William  Robinson, 
Samuel  St.  John, 
John  J.  Wilmurt, 
Paul  Gallaudat, 
William  Heyer, 
Thomas  Demilt, 
Oliver  Cromwell, 
Frederick  Pentz, 
Thomas  Garson, 
William  Peterson, 
Benjamin  Cady, 
Thomas  Smith, 
John  Garlock, 
Nathaniel  Hawxhurst, 
Timothy  Wood, 
Theophelus  Pirson, 
Henry  Sanders, 
Michael  Parker, 
George  Dally, 
Oliver  Showet, 
David  Skaats, 
John  P.  Kaff, 
Joel  Davis, 

Cornelius  Crygier,  Jr., 
William  Vincent, 
Godfrey  Kant, 

*  Rinier  Skaats,  Jr., 
Daniel  Ravo, 
William  Pers, 
John  Haskin, 
William  M'Kenny, 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


239 


William  P.  Roome, 
Nicholas  Meade, 
Reuben  Bunn, 
Duncan  Phyfe, 
Nathaniel  Furman, 
Andrew  Durham, 
Joseph  Morrison, 
Ware  Branson, 
Anthony  Steenback, 
Thomas  B.  Whitlock, 
David  Heckle, 
Daniel  Betts, 
Ebenezar  Stevens, 
James  Alner, 
William  Rowlenson, 
William  Peck, 
William  Barton, 
Jabesh  Pell, 
Andrew  Mercin, 
Thomas  Dodds, 
John  Leveridge, 
Philip  Lockwood, 
Peter  Conrey, 
John  Campbell, 
James  Egbert, 
Christian  Tupper, 
Edward  Meeks, 
Harman  Montanye, 
James  Riker, 
Daniel  Van  Antwerp, 
Henry  Vandewater, 
John  Auchincloss, 
Joseph  Watkins, 
Stephen  R.  Cooper, 
Francis  A.  Marschalk, 
Andrew  Newel, 
Charles  Jos.  Field, 
Francis  Cooper, 
Lawrence  Heyer, 
James  Bussing, 
Silas  Barber, 
James  Willet, 
John  Crygier, 


Walter  M'Bride, 
Peter  Sebring, 
James  Armstrong, 
John  I.  Roome, 
Thomas  Tant, 
James  Van  Duyne, 
Richard  Robertson, 
John  Connor, 
John  Cunningham, 
Robert  Provost,  Jr., 
David  Mersereau, 
Nicholas  Carmer, 
Robert  Carter, 
Michael  White, 
Michael  Fach, 
Hugh  M'Dougall, 
Henry  Hillman, 
Thomas  Fardon, 
Gerard  I.  Bancker, 
Abijah  Abbot, 
Alexander  Campbell, 
Isaiah  Valleau, 
Abraham  Van  Gelder, 
William  Irvin, 
John  Burger, 
Caleb  Pell, 
Jonas  P.  Eddo, 
James  Stewart, 
Lewis  Harway, 
Isaac  Van  Dyck, 
Lot  Merkel, 
Stephen  Rudd, 
Jacob  Grim, 
Joseph  Board, 
Thomas  F.  Kip, 
Barant  Deklyne, 
Peter  Vanderhoef,  Jr., 
Asa  Stanton, 
Abraham  Rich, 
*  John  M'Gowan, 
Samuel  Campbell, 
Edward  Sarles, 
Ezekiel  Robins, 


Daniel  Bowen, 
Christian  Nestill, 
George  Dieterich, 
James  Harrison, 
John  Hyde, 
John  Cummings, 
Richard  Moore, 
James  Bertine, 
William  Astrander, 
John  Van  Houter, 
John  Ruckel, 
Henry  Simmons, 
Benjamin  Aycrigg, 
George  Shimeall, 
Matthew  Lattimore, 
Thomas  White, 
Benjamin  Stephens, 
David  Pearcelock, 
Jeronemous  AlstyneJt. 
William  Bussing, 
William  Ketcham, 
Philip  Arnold, 
Nicholas  Roberts, 
Peter  R.  Sprainger, 
Thomas  Pryer, 
Duncan  M'Euen, 
Wm.  A.  Hardenbrook, 
Jacob  Lorillard, 
Leonard  Warner, 
John  Vidi  ro, 
Simeon  Deming, 
George  Ireland, 
Thomas  Whitlock, 
Charles  Craft, 
John  Campbell, 
Francis  Lynch, 
Peter  Valleau, 
John  Baldwin, 
Ebenezer  C.  Kilborn, 
William  Ballard, 
Samuel  Borrowe, 
Cornelius  Brinkerhoff, 
John  West, 


240 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


Jacob  Van  Wagenan,  Jr., 
Abraham  Kip, 
Peter  Coruth, 
Benjamin  Sullivan, 
Isaac  Kip,  Jr., 
George  James  Warner, 
James  Bayley, 
Adam  Pentz, 
James  Norris, 
Charles  Dobbs, 
Cornelius  Rutan, 
Ephraim  Baylis, 
Abraham  Fardon, 
Reuben  Odell, 
John  Parker, 
William  W.  Galatian, 
Napthalia  Judah, 
John  Elting, 

The  last  three  persons 


Peter  C.  Schuyler, 
Elias  Hatfield, 
John  W.  Elsvvorth, 
Joseph  Dederer, 
William  Parker, 
Bartholomew  Skaats, 
Edward  Meeks,  Sr., 
John  Forsyth, 
William  Frobisher, 
Joseph  Earl, 
Benjamin  Gai.lahar, 
James  Hallett,  Jr., 
Henry  Monro  Dobbs, 
Charles  Smith, 
Thomas  James, 
William  Whitehead, 
Thomas  Ryan, 
John  Buel, 

whose  names  are  recorded  were  i 


Solomon  Pancoast, 
John  Fitzpatrick, 
Ezra  Weeks, 
Lewis  Randolph, 
Richard  Chalk, 
John  Schanck, 
Archibald  Whaites, 
Richard  B.  Davis, 
George  Collis, 
George  Arcularius, 
Jacob  Bierman, 
Alexander  Saunders, 
Andrew  Morrell, 
Genrge  Knox, 
Kennith  M'Kinizie, 
Nicholas  Lozier, 
John  Randall. 

itiated  May  2d,  1798. 


APPENDIX  B. 


CORRESPONDENCE. 

Providence,  December  9,  1798. 

To  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen. 

Dear  Sirs  :  The  select  committee  of  the  Providence  Association  of  Mechanics  and 
Manufacturers,  desirous  of  expressing  the  sense  of  the  Association,  and  ever  happy  in 
communicating  to  their  friends  whatever  may  concern  them,  embrace  the  present  oppor- 
tunity of  forwarding  to  you  a  revision  of  the  by-laws,  rules,  and  orders  of  our  Association  ; 
also  a  certificate  of  membership,  with  an  explanation  thereof.  Our  desire  of  cultivating 
that  friendship  and  harmony  which  ought  ever  to  exist  between  societies  formed  for  such 
benevolent  and  commendable  purposes,  makes  us  anxious  to  embrace  every  circumstance 


MECHANICS      AND  TRADESMEN 


241 


that  may  tend  to  keep  us  in  your  remembrance ;  and  however  uninteresting  to 
your  Society  our  communications  may  be,  yet  we  are  unwilling  to  be  diverted  from 
our  purpose  on  any  occasion  that  ofters  to  present  you  with  our  most  respectful  con- 
sideration. 

We  solicit  your  acceptance  of  the  several  enclosures,  and  of  the  assurance  that  the 
best  wishes  of  our  Association  accompany  yours  in  the  pursuit  of  the  several  objects  in 
which  you  may  be  engaged. 

James  Burrill,  President. 

At  the  meeting  in  February,  the  following  reply  was  read  and  ordered  to  be  for- 
warded : 

Mechanics'  Hall,  January  28th,  1799. 

To  James  Burrill,  Esq.,  President. 

Dear  Sir  :  The  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New- 
York  have  duly  received  your  esteemed  favor  of  the  9th  inst.,  with  the  several  enclosures 
therein  mentioned,  and  return  you  their  thanks  for  this  new  evidence  of  your  friendship 
and  attention. 

Since  our  last  communication  to  you,  no  favorable  circumstances  bearing  a  distin- 
guished relation  to  the  progress  of  American  arts  and  manufactures  have  occurred  here 
which  we  could  deem  of  sufficient  importance  to  impart  to  you. 

Perhaps  upon  a  general  view  it  will  be  found  that  American  manufactures  have 
rather  lessened  than  increased  among  us,  the  attempts  of  many  individuals  have  resulted 
in  ruin,  and  the  few  companies  who  have  embarked  their  property  in  the  establishment 
of  particular  branches  have  successively,  and  with  loss,  relinquished  their  honorable 
undertakings. 

These  failures  may  in  general  be  attributed  to  the  same  source  (foreign  importation) 
which  has  existed  for  many  years  past,  and  still  continues  to  spread  its  baleful  influences 
among  us — an  influence  highly  unfavorable  to  mechanical  improvement,  nourishing  a 
spirit  of  dependence,  defeating  in  a  degree  the  purposes  of  our  Revolution,  md  tarnishing 
the  luster  of  our  national  character. 

It  is  a  misfortune  that  a  more  general  development  of  the  true  cause  of  all  this  evil 
has  not  been  made,  in  order  to  the  application  for  such  legislative  aid  as  may  render 
successful  the  patriotic  attempts  of  our  citizens. 

On  the  subject  of  American  arts  and  manufactures  your  communication  is  altogether 
silent.  From  this  circumstance,  and  our  own  experience,  we  are  led  to  infer  that  with  you 
(as  with  us)  they  are  at  present  by  no  means  in  a  flourishing  state.  If  this,  however,  is  not 
the  case,  we  shall  be  particularly  happy  in  being  undeceived. 

Enclosed  you  will  find  a  revised  copy  of  our  by-laws,  with  certificate  of  membership, 
of  which  we  beg  your  acceptance. 

This  letter  was  not  forwarded,  but  the  following  was  subsequently  adopted  in 
its  stead : 


242 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


Mechanics'  Hall.  April  3d,  1799. 

James  Burrill,  Esq.,  President. 

Dear  Sir:  The  esteemed  favor  from  your  Association  of  the  9th  December,  1798, 
with  the  several  enclosures  therein  mentioned,  have  been  duly  received,  for  which  we  return 
you  our  thanks,  and  regret  that  unavoidable  delays  prevented  our  forwarding  to  you  an 
earlier  answer. 

This  new  evidence  of  your  friendship  is  peculiarly  gratifying  to  the  General  Society  of 
Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New-York.  While  it  displays  a  spirit  of  extensive 
liberality,  it  is  well  calculated  to  produce  and  perpetuate  that  harmony  and  affection  which 
ought  to  subsist  between  our  respective  societies,  and  will  endear  the  remembrance  of  your 
Association.    To  be  informed  of  your  prosperity  will  always  give  us  pleasure. 

We  shall  be  happy  in  receiving  any  communications  that  you  may  honor  us  with,  and 
on  every  occasion  that  offers  present  you  with  such  information  relative  to  our  Society 
that  we  may  deem  of  importance. 

Enclosed  you  will  find  a  revised  copy  of  our  by-laws  and  rules  of  order,  together  with 
a  certificate  of  membership,  of  which  we  beg  your  acceptance,  with  the  assurance  of  our 
sincere  friendship. —  In  Society. 

Peter  H.  Wendover,  President. 


APPENDIX  C, 


ADDRESS  TO  BE  USED  AT  THE  INITIATION  OF  MEMBERS. 

Adopted  December,  1S02. 

Fellow  Citizens  : 

You  have  been  regularly  admitted  a  member  of  this  Society ;  which  mark  of  favor 
with  which  our  institution  has  honored  you  is  the  happy  result  of  those  flattering  recom- 
mendations which  we  have  received  of  your  character.  Let  sobriety,  industry,  integrity, 
and  uprightness  of  heart  continue  to  be  the  ornaments  of  your  name. 

We  now  hail  you  brother!  a  delightful  union,  where  the  bond  of  friendship  is 
benevolence.  To  dry  the  tear  from  misery's  eye,  to  succor  the  afflicted,  and  save  the 
sinking,  is  our  present  aim,  and  constituted  an  original  and  principal  object  with  the 
founders  of  our  institution.  You  are  about  to  join  your  efforts  to  those  of  your  brothers 
around  you;  a  compliance  with  the  tenor  of  our  laws  will  entitle  you  to  an  equal  par- 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


243 


ticipation  of  the  privileges  and  benefits  derived  from  this  incorporation.  May  the  interests, 
harmony,  and  reputation  of  this  General  Association  be  ever  dear  to  you.  On  its  private 
transactions  be  silent  as  the  grave. 

You  will  now  inscribe  your  name  on  the,  general  register  of  this  Society,  in  whose 
behalf  I  tender  you  the  right  hand  of  fellowship. 

A  beautiful  and  touching  address,  and  all  the  records  of  the  Society  show  that  it 
meant  all  that  it  said,  and  it  could  not  fail  to  impress  him  to  whom  it  was  spoken  with  the 
benevolence,  harmony,  and  moral  benefits  of  the  Association  that  welcomed  him  among 
them. 

"On  its  private  transactions  be  silent  as  the  grave." 

This  would,  at  first,  seem  to  intimate  that  there  were  secret  features  in  some  of  the 
Society's  transactions,  but  a  careful  reading  of  the  minutes  would  seem  to  show  the  clause 
above  quoted  referred  to  the  aid  that  was  offered  to  the  needy,  which  should  never  be 
trumpeted ;  but,  so  far  as  possible,  alms  should  be  done  in  secret,  and  it  was  our  Saviour's 
injunction  :  "  Let  not  thy  left  hand  know  what  thy  right  hand  doeth." 


APPENDIX  D, 


BY-LAWS. 

Chapter  I. —  A  Law  fixing  the  time  and  place  of  the  Meetings  of  this  Society. 

§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the 
City  of  New- York,  That  all  the  meetings  of  this  Society  shall  be  held  at  Mechanics'  Hall, 
situated  on  Broadway,  at  the  corner  of  Park  Place,  in  the  third  ward  of  this  city. 

§  2.  In  addition  to  the  annual  meetings  of  this  Society,  to  be  held  on  the  second 
Tuesday  in  January  in  every  year,  regular  meetings  shall  be  held  on  the  first  Wednesday 
in  every  month,  at  half  an  hour  after  sunset ;  and  the  first  Wednesday  in  March,  June, 
September,  and  December  are  hereby  designated  as  quarterly  meetings;  and  the  first 
Wednesday  in  April,  May,  July,  August,  October,  November,  January,  and  February  as 
monthly  meetings  of  this  Society. 

§  3.  Whenever  seven  members  shall  deem  it  expedient  to  have  a  special  meeting,  they 
shall  signify  it  in  writing  to  the  President,  for  the  time  being,  who  shall  direct  the  Secretary 
to  notify  the  members  accordingly. 


244 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


Chapter  II. —  A  Law  respecting  the  election  of  Officers.  * 

§  i.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New-York,  That  at  the  quarterly  meeting  in  December  in  every  year,  or  as  soon 
thereafter  as  may  be,  six  members  shall  be  chosen  by  the  Society,  as  inspectors  of  .the 
annual  election  of  officers;  three  of  whom  shall  be  designated  to  receive,  canvass,  and 
estimate  the  votes  given  for  President,  first  Vice-President,  second  Vice-President, 
Treasurer,  Secretary,  and  Collector;  and  three  to  receive,  canvass,  and  estimate  the  votes 
given  for  the  Loaning  Committee  and  Overseers  of  the  Poor. 

§  2.  When  a  quorum  of  members  are  met  on  the  morning  of  the  anniversary,  the 
presiding  officer  for  the  time  being  shall,  between  the  hours  of  ten  and  twelve  o'clock  a.  if., 
call  them  to  order;  when,  after  going  through  the  ordinary  business  of  the  Society,  they 
shall  proceed  by  ballot  to  the  choice  of  their  officers  for  the  ensuing  year :  Provided 
always,  should  it  at  any  time  happen  that  a  quorum  of  members  is  not  present  at  or  before 
eleven  o'clock  a.  m.,  the  opening  of  the  poll  for  the  election  of  officers  shall  not  be 
suspended  beyond  that  hour. 

§  3.  The  poll  for  election  shall  be  opened  and  kept  open  not  less  than  two  hours,  and 
shall  not  be  closed  before  one  o'clock  p.  m.,  and  the  inspectors  shall  give  notice  of  its 
closing  at  least  fifteen  minutes  preceding.  Immediately  on  closing  the  poll  they  shall 
proceed  to  canvass  the  votes,  and  on  completing  the  same,  shall  regularly  certify,  under 
their  hands,  the  persons  having  a  majority  of  votes;  which  certificate  shall,  provided  a 
quorum  of  members  are  present,  be  reported  forthwith  to  the  Society  ;  otherwise,  deposited 
with  the  Secretary  and  registered  on  the  minutes. 

§  4.  All  special  elections  for  filling  vacancies,  occasioned  by  death,  resignation,  or 
removal,  shall  be  at  a  stated  meeting  of  the  Society,  not  less  than  two  or  more  than  three 
months  after  such  vacancies  shall  have  happened,  and  the  presiding  officer  shall  cause  the 
members  to  be  notified  thereof,  in  the  papers  employed  by  this  Society,  at  least  one  week 
previous  to  the  time  of  every  such  election ;  any  law  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding. 

Chapter  III.  —  A  Law  prescribing  the  duties  of  the  Treasurer. 

§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New-York,  That  before  the  Treasurer  enters  upon  the  duties  of  his  office,  he  shall  give 
bond  to  the  Society,  with  two  sufficient  sureties,  in  the  sum  of  two  thousand  dollars,  for 
the  faithful  performance  of  the  trust  reposed  in  him. 

§  2.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Treasurer  to  receive  all  initiation  fees,  collect  the  rent 
of  the  Hall,  the  interest  on  any  money  secured  by  bond  and  mortgage,  the  dividend  from 
the  Mechanics'  Bank  on  the  stock  held  by  the  Society,  and,  from  time  to  time,  receive 
such  money  as  the  Collector  may  have  on  hand ;  and,  generally,  all  moneys,  except  the 
monthly  contributions  which  are  or  may  be  due  the  Society. 

He  shall  pay  all  specific  orders  drawn  on  him  by  the  Society  and  signed  by  the 
presiding  officer. 

He  shall  report  at  every  quarterly  meeting  the  state  of  the  finances  and  funds,  and 
subjoin  his  own  account  thereto,  for  the  inspection  of  the  members ;  and  also  such  list  of 
delinquents  as  shall  be  furnished  him  by  the  Collector,  particularly  specifying  the  cause  of 
their  delinquency. 


MECHANICS     AND     TRADESMEN.  245 

He  shall  correctly  keep  the  stock  ledger  and  transfer  book,  for  account  of  stock 
created  for  building  the  Hall. 

He  shall  furnish  the  Collector,  from  time  to  time,  with  the  money  necessary  to 
discharge  the  interest  that  may  accrue  and  be.  due  on  the  said  stock,  and  redeem  such 
part  of  it  as  shall  or  may  be  directed  to  be  paid  off. 

He  shall  register,  in  a  book  to  be  kept  for  that  particular  purpose,  the  names  of  the 
pensioners  and  the  names  and  ages  of  their  children,  and  shall  pay,  at  stated  periods, 
their  pensions  as  fixed  by  law. 

§  3.  The  Treasurer  shall  receive,  as  a  compensation  for  his  services,  a  salary  of  thirty 
dollars  per  annum. 

§  4.  The  Society  shall  appoint  annually  a  committee  of  three  members  to  examine 
the  books  of  the  Treasurer  and  Collector  respectively,  who  shall  report  the  result  at  the 
next  meeting  of  the  Society  thereafter. 

§  5.  When  a  new  Treasurer  is  chosen,  his  predecessor  in  office  shall  be  allowed  thirty 
days  to  adjust  and  settle  his  accounts,  and  other  matters  appertaining  to  the  duties  of 
his  office. 

Chapter  IV. — A  Law  prescribing  the  duties  of  the  Secretary. 

§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New-York,  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Secretary  to  attend  every  meeting  of  the 
Society,  except  prevented  by  sickness  or  absence  from  the  city. 

He  shall  keep  minutes  of  their  proceedings,  and  regularly  record  the  same  in  a  book 
provided  for  the  purpose. 

He  shall  also  keep  a  book,  wherein  each  member's  name  shall  be  inserted  in  such 
order  and  manner  that  it  will  appear  when  they  were  admitted,  expelled,  died,  or  with- 
drew, as  the  case  may  be ;  which  book  shall  be  the  register  of  the  Society.  And  further, 
he  shall  keep  a  book  similar  to  that  directed  to  be  kept  by  the  Treasurer,  wherein  shall  be 
recorded  the  names  of  the  widows  and  orphans  who  are  pensioners  to  this  institution. 

He  shall  notify  each  person  who  has  been  regularly  admitted  a  member  of  this  Society 
of  such  admission ;  and  in  case  of  the  election  of  any  member  not  present  to  an  office,  he 
shall  also  notify  him  of  his  election. 

He  shall  cause  public  notice  to  be  given  of  all  the  meetings  of  the  Society  in  the  fol- 
lowing newspapers  printed  in  this  city,  viz. :  the  "  Daily  Gazette,"  "  Mercantile  Advertiser," 
"  National  Advocate,"  and  "  Columbian,"  at  least  three  days  previous  to  each  meeting;  or 
in  such  other  papers  and  in  such  other  manner  as  the  Society  may  direct. 

§  2.  The  Secretary  shall  be  allowed,  for  the  performance  of  the  said  duties,  an  annual 
salary  of  seventy-five  dollars. 

§  3.  In  the  absence  or  inability  of  the  Secretary,  the  presiding  officer  for  the  time 
being  shall  appoint  one  of  the  members  to  officiate  as  Secretary  pro  tempore. 

Chapter  V. — A  Law  prescribing  the  duties  of  the  Collector. 

§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the 
City  of  New-York,  That  whenever  a  Collector  is  elected,  before  he  enters  on  the  duties  of 
his  office,  he  shall  give  bond  to  the  Society,  with  one  sufficient  surety,  in  the  sum  of  two 
hundred  dollars. 


246 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


§  2.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Collector  to  call  on  all  members  residing  in  this  city, 
who  may  be  two  or  more  quarters  in  arrears,  for  their  monthly  dues,  and  on  receiving  the 
same  give  receipts,  if  required. 

He  shall  make  quarterly  returns  to  the  Treasurer,  in  writing,  of  all  delinquents  who 
are  fifteen  or  more  months  in  arrears,  specifying  particularly  the  cause  or  causes  of  their 
delinquency. 

He  shall  pay  to  the  Treasurer,  at  least  once  in  every  quarter,  all  moneys  by  him 
collected  as  aforesaid. 

He  shall  keep  an  alphabetical  list  of  the  members,  in  a  book  ruled  with  columns  for 
each  quarter,  in  such  manner  that  it  may  be  readily  seen  how  many  months  each  person 
is  in  arrears  for  contributions. 

He  shall  pay,  when  thereunto  required  by  the  Treasurer,  the  interest  on  the 
unliquidated  stock  created  for  building  the  Hall. 

He  shall  attend  all  the  meetings  of  the  Society  in  the  capacity  of  door-keeper  and 
messenger,  and  shall  suffer  none  except  members  to  enter  the  Hall,  during  the  time  of 
meeting,  without  permission  of  the  Society. 

§  3.  For  the  faithful  performance  of  the  above  duties  the  Collector  shall  be  allowed 
the  following  compensation  :  On  all  monthly  contributions  by  him  collected,  ten  per 
cent. ;  and  for  keeping  the  door  of  the  Hall,  each  meeting  which  he  shall  attend, 
seventy-five  cents. 

Chapter  VI. —  A  Law  authorizing  the  election  of  Overseers  of  the  Poor  and  designating  their  duties. 

§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New- York,  That  four  discreet  and  upright  persons,  members  of  this  Society,  shall  be 
elected  at  the  annual  meeting,  as  Overseers  of  the  Poor  or  Indigent,  who  shall  hold  their 
offices  for  one  year,  and  until  others  are  elected  in  their  stead. 

§  2.  All  applications  made  to  this  Society  for  relief,  either  personally  or  by  petition, 
shall  be  referred  to  the  Overseers  of  the  Poor. 

§  3.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Overseers  of  the  Poor  to  inspect  into  the  circum- 
stances of  every  member,  or  of  the  widow,  orphan,  or  orphans  of  any  deceased  member, 
who  may  apply  for  assistance. 

They  shall  also  inquire  into  the  circumstances  of  each  member  who  may  plead 
indigence  as  a  cause  for  not  paying  his  monthly  contributions. 

They  shall  visit,  from  time  to  time,  the  several  pensioners  of  this  Society,  in  order  that 
they  may  obtain  a  knowledge  whether  they  are  fit  and  proper  objects  of  its  bounty. 

In  all  cases  referred  to  them,  or  that  may  occur  in  the  performance  of  their  duty, 
they  shall  report  in  writing  to  the  Society  a  statement  of  facts,  with  their  opinion  thereon. 

§  4.  In  cases  where  applications  are  made  to  the  Overseers  of  the  Poor  during  the 
recess  of  the  Society,  by  pensioners  or  others,  and  where  petitions  or  applications  have 
been  referred  to  them,  and  on  examination  it  shall  appear  that  the  applicant  or  applicants 
are  entitled  to  relief  by  the  By-Laws,  and  that  the  circumstances  of  the  case  are  such  as  to 
require  immediate  assistance,  and  will  not  admit  of  the  delay  necessary  to  make  a  formal 
report  thereof,  then  it  shall  and  may  be  lawful  for  them  to  make  a  donation,  not  to  exceed 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


247 


ten  dollars  to  each  applicant,  for  each  and  every  month  during  the  continuance  of  their 
several  necessities,  and  only  during  the  recess  of  the  Society.  And  they  are  hereby 
authorized  to  draw  upon  the  Treasurer  for  the  money  distributed  in  donations  as  aforesaid ; 
provided,  always,  that  they  shall  report  in  writing,  at  the  next  meeting  thereafter,  the 
amount  thus  advanced  by  their  order  on  the  Treasurer,  and  the  name  and  situation  of  the 
person  thus  relieved ;  whereupon  the  said  amount  shall  be  audited  and  allowed  by  the 
Society. 

Chapter  VII. — A  Law  regulating  the  proposition  of  Candidates. 

§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New- York,  That  the  art,  or  trade,  of  every  person  to  be  proposed  as  a  member  of  this 
Society  shall  be  entered  by  the  Secretary  on  the  minutes  of  the  meeting  at  which  such 
proposition  is  made ;  and  the  Society  shall  in  no  case  proceed  to  ballot  for  such  person  as 
a  member  unless  two  of  the  brothers  shall  appear  and  vouch  for  his  character,  as  it  relates 
to  industry,  honesty,  and  sobriety  ;  and  also  for  his  being  a  mechanic  or  tradesman ;  nor 
unless  one  of  the  vouchers  be  present. 

Chapter  VIII. — A  Law  regulating  the  Ceremony  of  the  Initiation  of  Members. 

§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New-York,  That  every  person  who  may  hereafter  be  elected  a  member  of  this  Society 
shall,  within  three  meetings  thereafter,  apply  for  the  purpose  of  being  initiated ;  and  in  case 
any  person  so  elected  shall  neglect  to  apply  within  the  time  aforesaid,  his  election  shall,  by 
such  neglect,  become  void. 

§  2.  All  members  who  are  in  waiting  for  the  purpose  of  being  initiated  shall  be  regu- 
larly introduced  to  the  Society  by  two  brothers,  previously  appointed  by  the  President  or 
presiding  officer,  as  masters  of  ceremonies  for  that  evening.  The  masters  of  ceremonies, 
when  arrived  at  the  door  of  the  Hall,  accompanied  by  the  persons  to  be  initiated,  shall 
give  notice  thereof  by  three  distinct  raps,  which  shall  be  answered  by  the  President  with 
two  strokes  of  his  hammer ;  the  brothers  at  the  same  time  will  rise  and  uncover,  while  the 
masters  of  ceremonies  shall  approach  the  chair  and  present  the  newly  elected  members. 
The  presiding  officer  will  then  address  them  as  follows.  [To  be  spokei-  in  the  plural  or 
singular,  as  the  case  may  require.] 

"  Fellow  Citizens  : 

"  You  have  been  regularly  admitted  members  of  this  Society.  This  mark  of  favor, 
with  which  our  institution  has  honored  you,  is  the  happy  result  of  those  nattering  recom- 
mendations we  have  received  of  your  character.  Let  sobriety,  industry,  integrity,  and 
uprightness  of  heart  continue  the  ornaments  of  your  name. 

"  We  now  hail  you  brothers !  Delightful  union,  when  the  bond  of  friendship  is 
benevolence !  To  dry  the  tear  from  misery's  eye,  to  succor  the  afflicted,  and  to  save  the 
sinking  is  our  present  aim,  and  constituted  an  original  and  principal  object  with  the 
founders  of  our  institution. 

"  You  are  about  to  join  your  efforts  to  those  of  your  brethren  around  you :  a 
compliance  with  the  tenor  of  our  laws  will  entitle  you  to  an  equal  participation  of  those 


248 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


privileges  and  benefits  derived  from  this  incorporation.  May  the  interests,  harmony,  and 
reputation  of  this  General  Association  be  ever  dear  to  you. 

"  You  will  now  inscribe  your  names  on  the  general  register  of  this  Society,  in  whose 
behalf  I  tender  you  the  right  hand  of  fellowship." 

Chapter  IX. —  A  Law  relative  to  the  funds  of  this  Society,  and  to  regulate  the  contributions 

of  its  members. 

§  i.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New-York,  That  each  and  every  person  who  may  be  admitted  a  member  of  this  Society 
shall  pay  eight  dollars  as  an  initiation  fee ;  which  payment  shall  be  made  to  the  Treasurer, 
or  in  his  absence  to  the  Secretary,  immediately  after  his  being  initiated.  He  shall  also  pay 
to  the  Treasurer  twelve  dollars,  in  four  equal  yearly  installments ;  in  default  of  which  he 
shall  forfeit  the  sum  paid  as  an  initiation  fee,  together  with  his  right  to  membership: 
Provided,  always,  that  each  person  admitted  as  aforesaid  may,  at  the  time  of  his  initiation, 
or  at  any  other  time  during  the  above-mentioned  period,  pay  the  whole  of  the  said  sum  ; 
and  on  suph  payment  being  made,  shall  be  entitled  to  all  the  privileges  and  advantages 
derived  from  this  incorporation. 

§  2.  All  persons  being  members  of  this  Society  at  or  before  the  passing  of  this  ordi- 
nance, and  who  have  paid,  by  initiation  fees  and  monthly  contributions,  the  sum  of  twenty 
dollars,  shall  be  exempt  from  the  payment  of  said  contributions  from  and  after  the  first  day 
of  January,  1816.  And  those  who  have  not  paid,  by  initiation  fees  and  contributions  on 
the  first  day  of  January  aforesaid,  the  full  sum  of  twenty  dollars,  shall  be  subject  to  the 
payment  of  a  monthly  contribution  of  twelve  and  a  half  cents,  until  the  payment  thereof 
shall  amount  to  the  said  sum :  Provided,  always,  that  each  and  every  person  who  are 
members  as  aforesaid  may,  at  discretion,  pay  the  balance  necessary  to  complete  the 
amount  hereinbefore  specified. 

§  3.  If  any  members,  who  are  not  exempted  by  this  ordinance  from  the  payment  of 
monthly  contributions  as  aforesaid,  shall  neglect  or  refuse  to  pay  the  same  for  eighteen 
months  in  succession  (except  such  as  may  plead  indigence  as  a  reason  for  non-payment, 
and  whose  plea  may  be  allowed  and  sanctioned  by  the  Society),  they  shall  be  expelled, 
agreeably  to  the  provisions  of  the  Charter:  Provided,  however,  that  all  members  who  may 
have  removed  from  the  city  shall  be  allowed  a  further  extension  of  twelve  months  before 
they  shall  be  expelled  as  aforesaid. 

Chapter  X. —  A  Law  to  direct  the  appropriations  of  the  funds,  and  fix  the  pensions  of  the 

widows  and  orphans. 

§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New-York,  That  as  it  is  the  leading  object  of  this  Society  to  relieve  the  necessities  of 
unfortunate  members,  every  such  person,  having  complied  with  the  provisions  of  the  ninth 
chapter  of  our  by-laws,  shall  be  entitled  to  receive  such  sums  as  the  Society  may  from  time 
to  time  direct. 

§  2.  Whenever  it  shall  appear  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  Overseers  of  the  Poor  that  the 
situation  or  circumstances  of  any  member  who  has  applied  for  relief  is  such  that  he  will 
require  assistance  more  than  one  year,  or  during  his  natural  life,  it  shall  be  their  duty  to 


s 


MECHANICS     AND     TRADESMEN.  249 

report  to  the  Society,  for  their  concurrence,  a  specific  sum  which,  in  their  opinion,  under 
all  the  circumstances,  ought  to  be  granted  as  a  yearly  pension  to  such  member ;  which 
pension,  if  concurred  in  by  the  Society,  shall  be  paid  by  the  Treasurer,  in  the  same  manner 
and  at  the  same  periods  that  other  pensions  are  paid. 

§  3.  In  the  event  of  the  death  of  any  member,  being  in  indigent  circumstances,  his 
widow,  orphan,  or  orphans,  shall  be  entitled  to  receive  assistance  agreeable  to  the  fol- 
lowing regulations  : 

1.  All  widows  entered,  or  who  may  be  entered,  on  the  pension  list,  having  no  young 
children,  shall  be  allowed  twenty-five  dollars  per  annum. 

2.  All  widows  having  children  under  the  age  of  fourteen  years  shall  be  allowed  the 
sum  of  five  dollars  per  annum  for  each  child. 

3.  When  a  child  whose  mother  is  on  the  pension  list  shall  arrive  at  the  age  of  fourteen 
years,  the  pension  of  the  widow  for  such  child  shall  cease  from  that  day  forward. 

4.  Every  child  having  no  parents  living,  and  who  shall  be  entered  on  the  pension  list, 
shall  be  allowed  the  sum  of  fifteen  dollars  per  annum  until  it  shall  arrive  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  years  ;  the  said  money  to  be  paid  the  guardian  of  the  child,  or  such  other  person 
as  the  Overseers  of  the  Poor  shall  approve. 

Chapter  XI. —  A  Law  respecting  the  Seal,  and  Plate  for  Certificates  of  this  Society. 

§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New-York,  That  there  shall  be  a  seal  provided  by  the  Society,  emblematical  of  its 
institution,  with  such  device  as  shall  be  agreed  on  ;  the  same  to  be  kept  by  the  Secretary, 
for  the  purpose  of  sealing  all  certificates  of  admission  and  other  transactions  whereunto  it 
is  proper  a  seal  should  be  affixed,  in  order  that  the  whole  of  its  acts  and  proceedings  may 
be  regularly  authenticated. 

§  2.  The  seal  of  this  Society  shall  not  be  affixed  to  any  instrument  of  writing  for  any 
purpose  whatsoever,  except  certificates  of  admission,  at  any  other  time  or  place  than  at  a 
regular  meeting  of  this  Society. 

§  3.  There  shall  be  a  plate  engraved  for  the  purpose  of  striking  off  the  certificates  of 
admission,  and  each  member  shall  be  entitled  to  one,  which  shall  be  prese^.ted  him  by  the 
Secretary,  dated  from  the  commencement  of  his  membership. 

Chapter  XII. — A  Law  authorizing  the  election  of  a  loaning  committee,  and  regulating  the 
loaning  the  money  of  this  Society. 

§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New-York,  That  the  Society  shall  at  every  annual  meeting  elect,  by  ballot,  a  committee 
of  five  members,  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  attend  to  the  loaning  of  the  money  of  this  Society. 

§  2.  When  application  is  made  to  the  Society  for  money  which  may  have  been 
directed  to  be  put  out  on  loan,  a  majority  of  the  members  of  the  committee,  on  examining 
the  property  offered  to  be  mortgaged,  and  finding  it  agreeable  to  the  regulations  in  the 
following  section,  shall  have  power  to  loan  the  same. 

§  3.  No  money  shall  be  loaned  out  by  the  Society  unless  the  borrower  lives,  and  the 
property  to  be  mortgaged  be  situated  within  the  city  and  county  of  New-York,  and  unless 
the  property  offered  to  be  mortgaged  be  twice  the  value  of  the  sum  to  be  loaned. 


250 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


§  4.  In  case  there  should  be  more  than  one  applicant  at  the  same  time  for  any  sum  » 
to  be  loaned,  it  is  hereby  made  the  duty  of  the  President  to  determine  by  lot  which  of  the 
applicants  shall  have  the  preference ;  but  the  members  of  this  Society  shall  have  the 
preference  of  all  other  applicants. 

§  5.  On  the  first  meeting  after  the  loaning  of  any  moneys,  the  committee  shall  report 
to  the  Society  a  regular  account  of  their  proceedings. 

Chapter  XIII. — A  Law  to  direct  the  manner  of  issuing  Certificates  for  the  shares  in  the  loan. 

§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New- York,  That  it  shall  be  lawful  for  the  President  and  Secretary,  and  they  are  hereby 
directed,  to  issue  certificates  for  the  shares  in  the  loan,  in  the  presence  and  by  consent  of 
the  building  committee,  to  such  members  as  shall  complete  the  payment  of  their  shares 
respectively  to  said  committee,  and  to  sign  their  names  thereto  as  President  and  Secretary, 
in  the  same  manner  as  if  it  were  done  at  a  meeting  and  in  the  presence  of  the  Society. 

§  2.  It  shall  be  lawful  for  the  Secretary  to  affix  to  each  certificate  so  issued  the 
common  seal  of  this  Society,  any  by-law  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding. 

Chapter  XIV. —  Rules  of  Order  to  be  observed  at  the  meetings  of  this  Society. 

1.  On  the  appearance  of  a  quorum,  the  President  shall  take  the  chair  and  the 
members  shall  be  called  to  order. 

2.  Immediately  after  the  President  shall  have  taken  the  chair,  the  minutes  of  the 
preceding  meeting  shall  be  read  by  the  Secretary,  that  any  mistakes  therein  may  be 
corrected  by  the  Society. 

3.  The  President  shall  preserve  order  and  decorum,  and  decide  questions  of  order, 
subject  to  an  appeal  to  the  Society. 

4.  The  President  shall  not  vote  in  any  case,  unless  the  Society  be  equally  divided. 

5.  When  the  Society  adjourns,  the  members  shall  Keep  their  seats  until  the  President 
leaves  the  chair. 

6.  Every  member  wishing  to  speak  shall  rise  from  his  seat  and  address  himself  to  the 
President,  and,  unless  conscientiously  scrupulous,  shall  be  uncovered. 

7.  When  two  or  more  members  rise  at  once,  the  President  shall  name  the  member 
who  is  first  to  speak. 

8.  No  member  shall  speak  more  than  twice  to  the  same  question  until  he  shall  have 
obtained  leave  from  the  Society. 

9.  No  motion  shall  be  debated  or  put  unless  the  same  be  seconded.  When  a  motion 
is  seconded,  it  shall  be  stated  by  the  President  before  debate,  and  every  such  motion  shall 
be  reduced  to  writing,  if  the  President  or  any  five  members  desire  it. 

1  o.  After  a  motion  is  stated  by  the  President,  it  shall  be  deemed  to  be  in  possession 
of  the  Society:  but  may  be  withdrawn  at  any  time  before  decision  or  amendment. 

11.  When  any  question  is  under  debate  no  motion  shall  be  received,  unless  to  amend 
it,  or  to  postpone  it  to  a  certain  day,  for  the  previous  question,  or  to  adjourn. 

12.  The  previous  question,  until  it  is  decided,  shall  preclude  all  amendment  and  debate 
of  the  main  question,  and  shall  be  in  this  form :  Shall  the  main  question  be  now  put  ? 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


251 


13.  A  motion  to  adjourn  shall  be  always  in  order,  and  shall  be  decided  without 
debate. 

14.  No  person  shall  speak  more  than  once  upon  a  previous  question. 

15.  Petitions,  memorials,  and  other  papers  addressed  to  the  Society  shall  be  presented 
by  the  President,  or  by  a  member  in  his  place. 

16.  Whilst  the  President  is  putting  a  question,  no  member  shall  walk  out  of  or  across 
the  room ;  nor,  when  a  member  is  speaking,  shall  any  one  entertain  private  discourse,  or 
pass  between  him  and  the  chair. 

17.  Every  bill  shall  receive  three  several  readings  previous  to  its  being  passed;  the 
second  and  third  reading  shall  be  at  different  meetings,  unless  the  Society  unanimously 
direct  otherwise. 

18.  All  questions  in  the  Society  shall  be  put  in  the  order  they  were  moved,  except  that 
in  filling  up  blanks  the  largest  sum  and  longest  time  shall  be  first  put. 

Chapter  XV. — A  Law  enacting  the  revised  Laws  and  repealing  those  heretofore  enacted. 

Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of 
New-York,  That  from  and  after  the  passing  of  this  act  the  foregoing  by-laws  and  ordi- 
nances shall  be  considered,  and  they  are  hereby  declared,  the  only  legitimate  by-laws  of 
this  Society ;  and  further,  that  the  by-laws  heretofore  enacted  be  and  the  same  are  hereby 
repealed. 

Passed  in  Society,  Aug.  3d,  i8r4. 

Thomas  R.  Mercein, 
Second  Vice-President  and  presiding  officer. 

Attest:  James  Hopson,  Secretary. 


APPENDIX  E. 


AN  ACT 

To  amend  an  Act,  entitled  "An  Act  relative  to  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the 
City  of  New-York,"  passed  April  3d,  1811.    Passed  January  26th,  1821. 

Whereas,  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New- 
York  have,  by  memorial,  set  forth  that,  in  their  act  of  incorporation,  passed  on  the  third 
day  of  April,  181 1,  they  are  restricted  from  appropriating  any  part  of  the  funds  of  the  said 
Society  to  any  other  purposes  (excepting  certain  necessary  and  incidental  expenses)  than 


252 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


the  support  of  indigent  members  of  the  said  Society,  or  the  widows  and  children  of  any 
person  having  been  a  member,  and  having  prayed  for  such  an  alteration  or  amendment 
of  the  act  of  incorporation  as  may  authorize  them  to  appropriate  a  part  of  their  funds  to 
the  support  of  a  School  for  the  gratuitous  education  of  children  of  deceased  or  indigent 
members  of  the  said  Society,  and  also  to  the  establishment  of  an  Apprentices'  Library,  for 
the  use  of  the  Apprentices  of  Mechanics  in  the  City  of  New- York ;  therefore, 

1.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  people  of  the  State  of  New- York,  represented  in  Senate  and 
Assembly,  That  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New- 
York  be  and  they  are  hereby  authorized  and  empowered  to  appropriate  such  part  of  their 
funds  as  may  by  them  be  deemed  expedient,  to  the  establishment  and  maintenance  of  a 
School  for  the  education  of  the  children  of  indigent  or  deceased  members  of  the  said 
Society,  and  also  to  the  establishment  and  support  of  an  Apprentices'  Library,  for  the  use 
of  the  Apprentices  of  Mechanics  in  the  City  of  New- York,  any  restriction  or  limitation  in 
the  act  entitled  "An  Act  relative  to  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of 
the  City  of  New-York,"  passed  April  3d,  181 1,  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding. 

2.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  the  Commissioners  of  School  money  for  the  City 
and  County  of  New-York  shall,  and  they  are  hereby  authorized  and  directed  to,  pay  to  the 
Treasurer  of  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New- York, 
annually  from  the  Chamberlain  of  the  said  city,  in  pursuance  to  the  fourth  section  of  the 
act  entitled  "  An  Act  supplementary  to  the  act  entitled  an  act  for  the  establishment 
of  common  school,"  passed  March  12th,  1813,  such  proportion  of  the  said  moneys  as  the 
number  of  children  gratuitously  taught  in  the  school  so  established  by  the  said  Society 
shall  bear  to  the  whole  number  of  children  taught  free  of  expense  in  the  several  other 
schools  of  the  City  and  County  of  New-York,  which  are,  or  hereafter  may  be,  by  law 
entitled  to  a  proportion  of  the  moneys  arising  from  the  general  school  fund. 


APPENDIX  F. 


BY-LAWS. 

Adopted  December  3D,  1823. 

Chapter  I. — A  Law  fixing  the  time  and  place  of  the  meetings  of  this  Society. 

§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New-York,  That  all  the  meetings  of  this  Society  shall  be  held  at  the  Mechanics' 
Institution  in  Chambers  street. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


253 


§  2.  In  addition  to  the  annual  meetings  of  this  Society,  to  be  held  on  the  second 
Tuesday  in  January,  in  every  year,  regular  meetings  shall  be  held  on  the  first  Wednesday 
in  every  month,  at  an  hour  after  sunset;  and  the  first  Wednesday  in  March,  June, 
September,  and  December  are  hereby  designated  as  quarterly  meetings,  and  the  first 
Wednesday  in  April,  May,  July,  August,  October,  November,  January,  and  February  as 
monthly  meetings  of  this  Society. 

§  3.  Whenever  seven  members  shall  deem  it  expedient  to  have  a  special  meeting,  they 
shall  signify  it  in  writing  to  the  President  for  the  time  being,  who  shall  direct  the  Secretary 
to  notify  the  members  accordingly. 

Chapter  II. — A  Law  respecting  the  Election  of  Officers. 

§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New-York,  That  at  the  quarterly  meeting  in  December  in  every  year,  or  as  soon 
thereafter  as  may  be,  six  members  shall  be  chosen  by  the  Society,  as  inspectors  of  the  annual 
election  of  officers ;  three  of  whom  shall  be  designated  to  receive,  canvass,  and  estimate 
the  votes  given  for  President,  first  Vice-President,  second  Vice-President,  Treasurer, 
Secretary,  Collector,  and  Door-keeper,  and  three  to  receive,  canvass,  and  estimate  the 
votes  given  for  the  Finance  and  Loaning  Committee,  and  Almoners  of  the  Society. 

§  2.  When  a  quorum  of  members  are  met  on  the  morning  of  the  anniversary,  the 
presiding  officer  for  the  time  being  shall,  between  the  hours  of  ten  and  twelve  o'clock  a.  m., 
call  them  to  order :  when,  after  going  through  the  ordinary  business  of  the  Society,  they 
shall  proceed  by  ballot  to  the  choice  of  their  officers  for  the  ensuing  year:  Provided 
always,  should  it  at  any  time  happen  that  a  quorum  of  members  is  not  present  at  or  before 
eleven  o'clock  a.  m..  the  opening  of  the  poll  for  the  election  of  officers  shall  not  be  sus- 
pended beyond  that  hour. 

§  3.  The  poll  for  election  shall  be  opened  and  kept  open  not  less  than  two  hours,  and 
shall  not  be  closed  before  one  o'clock  p.  m.,  and  the  inspectors  shall  give  notice  of  its 
closing  at  least  fifteen  minutes  preceding.  Immediately  on  closing  the  poll  they  shall 
proceed  to  canvass  the  votes,  and  on  completing  the  same  shall  regularly  certify,  under 
their  hands,  the  persons  having  a  majority  of  votes;  which  certificates  shall,  provided  a 
quorum  of  members  are  present,  be  reported  forthwith  to  the  Society;  otherwise,  deposited 
with  the  Secretary,  and  registered  on  the  minutes  :  Provided,  however,  that  no  member 
whose  dues  remain  unpaid  for  more  than  twelve  months  (unless  he  shall  have  been 
exempted  from  the  payment  thereof  by  a  resolution  of  the  Society)  shall  be  allowed  to 
vote  at  any  such  election. 

§  4.  All  special  elections  for  filling  vacancies  occasioned  by  death,  resignation,  or 
removal  shall  be  at  a  stated  meeting  of  the  Society,  not  less  than  two,  or  more  than  three, 
months  after  such  vacancies  shall  have  happened  ;  and  the  presiding  officer  shall  cause  the 
members  to  be  notified  thereof,  in  the  papers  employed  by  this  Society,  at  least  one  week 
previous  to  the  time  of  every  such  election,  any  law  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding. 

Chapter  III. — A  Law  prescribing  the  duties  of  the  President  and  Vice-Presidents. 
§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New-York,  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  President  to  preside  at  all  meetings  of  the 


254 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


Society;  to  preserve  decorum  and  decide  all  questions  of  order,  subject,  however,  to  an 
appeal  to  the  Society;  he  shall  not  vote  in  any  case,  unless  the  Society  be  equally 
divided. 

§  2.  In  case  of  the  absence  of  the  President,  the  first  Vice-President  shall  presiderand 
perform  all  the  duties  of  the  President ;  and  in  case  of  the  absence  of  both  the  President 
and  the  first  Vice-President,  the  second  Vice-President  shall  in  like  manner  preside  and 
perform  the  said  duties;  and  in  the  event  of  all  the  said  officers  being  absent,  the  Society 
(a  quorum  being  present)  shall  appoint  a  President  pro  tempore,  who  shall  perform  all  the 
duties  incident  to  the  office. 

§  3.  The  President  of  the  Society  shall  be  ex  officio  a  member  of  the  School  Com- 
mittee; the  first  Vice-President  ex  officio  a  member  of  the  Library  Committee ;  and  the 
second  Vice-President  ex  officio  a  member  of  the  Finance  and  Loaning  Committee. 

Chapter  IV. — A  Law  prescribing  the  duties  of  the  Treasurer. 

§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the 
City  of  New-York,  That  before  the  Treasurer  enters  upon  the  duties  of  his  office  he  shall 
give  a  bond  to  the  Society,  with  two  sufficient  sureties,  in  the  sum  of  two  thousand  dollars, 
for  the  faithful  performance  of  the  trust  reposed  in  him. 

§  2.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Treasurer  to  receive  all  initiation  fees,  collect  the  rents 
of  the  Hall  and  Mechanics'  Institution,  the  interest  of  any  money  secured  by  bond  and 
mortgage,  the  dividend  from  the  Mechanics'  Bank  on  the  stock  held  by  the  Society,  and, 
from  time  to  time,  receive  such  money  as  the  Collector  may  have  on  hand,  and  generally 
all  moneys  owing  to  the  Society. 

He  shall  pay  all  specific  orders  drawn  on  him  by  a  resolution  of  the  Society,  and 
signed  by  the  presiding  officer  —  also  the  quarterly  drafts  of  the  School,  Library,  and 
Finance  and  Loaning  Committees,  and  Almoners  of  the  Society. 

He  shall  register,  in  a  book  to  be  kept  for  that  purpose,  the  names  of  the  pensioners 
and  the  names  and  ages  of  their  children ;  and  shall  pay,  at  stated  periods,  their  pensions 
as  fixed  by  law. 

He  shall  report  at  every  quarterly  meeting  the  state  of  the  finances  and  funds,  and 
subjoin  his  own  account  thereto  for  the  inspection  of  the  members ;  and  also  such  list  of 
delinquents  as  shall  be  furnished  him  by  the  Collector,  particularly  specifying  the  cause  of 
their  delinquency,  and  for  his  services  he  shall  be  allowed  a  compensation  of  fifty  dollars 
per  annum. 

§  3.  The  Society  shall  appoint  annually  a  committee  of  three  members  to  examine  the 
books  of  the  Treasurer  and  Collector  respectively,  who  shall  report  the  result  at  the  next 
meeting  of  the  Society  thereafter. 

§  4.  When  a  new  Treasurer  is  chosen,  his  predecessor  in  office  shall  be  allowed  twenty 
days  to  adjust  and  settle  his  accounts  and  other  matters  appertaining  to  the  duties  of  his 
office. 

Chapter  V. — A  Law  prescribing  the  duties  of  the  Secretary. 

§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the 
City  of  New- York,  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Secretary  to  attend  every  meeting  of 
the  Society,  except  prevented  by  sickness,  or  absence  from  the  city. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


255 


He  shall  keep  minutes  of  their  proceedings,  and  regularly  record  the  same  in  a  book 
provided  for  the  purpose,  together  with  all  reports  made  to  the  Society,  and  shall  also  file 
and  number  all  original  papers,  resolutions,  and  other  documents. 

He  shall  also  keep  a  book,  wherein  each  member's  name  and  occupation  shall  be 
inserted,  in  such  order  and  manner  that  it  will  appear  when  they  were  admitted,  expelled, 
died,  or  withdrew,  as  the  case  may  be ;  which  book  shall  be  the  register  of  the  Society. 
And,  further,  he  shall  keep  a  book  similar  to  that  directed  to  be  kept  by  the  Treasurer, 
wherein  shall  be  recorded  the  names  of  the  widows  and  orphans  who  are  pensioners  to  this 
institution. 

He  shall  notify  forthwith  each  person  who  has  been  regularly  admitted  a  member  of 
this  Society  of  such  admission,  and  in  case  of  the  election  of  any  member  not  present  to 
an  office,  he  shall  also  notify  him  of  his  election. 

When  committees  are  appointed,  it  shall  be  his  duty  to  give  notice  to  the  member 
first  named  on  the  committee,  with  a  written  copy  of  the  resolution,  matter,  or  thing 
referred,  and  the  names  of  the  other  members  of  the  committee. 

When  motions  are  made  and  seconded,  he  shall  record  the  names  of  those  members 
«  by  whom  they  are  made  and  seconded. 

He  shall  cause  public  notice  to  be  given  of  all  the  meetings  of  the  Society,  in  such 
papers  and  in  such  manner  as  the  Society  may  direct. 

§  3.  In  the  absence  or  inability  of  the  Secretary,  the  presiding  officer  for  the  time 
being  shall  appoint  one  of  the  members  to  officiate  as  Secretary  pro  tempore. 

§  4.  The  Secretary  shall  be  allowed  for  his  services  an  annual  salary  of  fifty  dollars. 

Chapter  VI. — A  Law  prescribing  the  duties  of  the  Collector. 

§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New-York,  That  whenever  a  Collector  is  elected,  before  he  enters  on  the  duties  of  his 
office,  he  shall  give  a  bond  to  the  Society,  with  one  sufficient  surety,  in  the  sum  of  two 
hundred  dollars. 

§  2.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Collector  to  call  on  all  members  residing  in  this  city, 
who  may  be  in  arrears,  for  their  dues,  and  on  receiving  the  same  give  recei,  ts,  if  required. 

He  shall  make  quarterly  returns  to  the  Treasurer,  in  writing,  of  all  delinquents  who 
are  twelve  or  more  months  in  arrears,  specifying  particularly  the  cause  or  causes  of  their 
delinquency. 

He  shall  pay  to  the  Treasurer,  at  least  once  in  every  quarter,  all  moneys  by  him 
collected  as  aforesaid. 

He  shall  keep  an  alphabetical  list  of  the  members,  in  a  book  ruled  with  columns 
for  each  quarter,  in  such  manner  that  it  may  be  readily  seen  how  many  months  each 
person  is  in  arrears  for  contributions. 

§  3.  For  the  faithful  performance  of  the  above  duties  the  Collector  shall  be  allowed 
ten  per  cent,  on  all  moneys  collected  by  him  and  paid  to  the  Treasurer. 

Chapter  VII. —  Duties  of  the  Door-keeper  and  Messenger. 

§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New-York,  That  the  Door-keeper  shall  attend  all  the  meetings  of  the  Society,  and  shall 


256 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


suffer  no  person  except  members  to  enter  the  Hall  during  the  time  of  meeting  without  » 
the  permission  of  the  Society ;  he  shall  deliver  to  members  elect  the  notices  prepared 
by  and  handed  to  him  by  the  Secretary,  informing  them  of  their  election. 

He  shall  at  all  times  have  the  Hall  ready  and  prepared  for  the  meetings  of  the 
Society,  and  as  a  compensation  therefor  shall  be  allowed  to  occupy  so  much  of  the 
basement  story  of  the  Mechanics'  Institution  as  the  committee  of  expenditures  and  loans 
may  prescribe,  and  shall  also  receive  seventy-five  cents  for  each  meeting  of  the  Society 
which  he  attends. 

Chapter  VIII. — A  Law  authorizing  the  election  of  Almoners  and  designating  their  duties. 

§  i.  Be  it  ordainkd  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New- York,  That  four  members  of  this  Society  shall  be  elected  at  the  annual  meeting  as 
Almoners,  who  shall  hold  their  offices  for  one  year,  and  until  others  are  elected  in  their 
place. 

§  2.  All  applications  made  to  this  Society  for  relief,  either  personally  or  by  petition, 
shall  be  referred  to  the  Almoners. 

§  3.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Almoners  to  inquire  into  the  circumstances  of  every 
member,  or  of  the  widow,  orphan,  or  orphans  of  any  deceased  member  who  may  apply 
for  assistance. 

They  shall  also  inquire  into  the  circumstances  of  each  member  who  may  plead 
indigence  as  a  cause  for  not  paying  his  monthly  or  annual  dues. 

They  shall  visit  from  time  to  time  the  several  pensioners  of  this  Society,  in  order  that 
they  may  obtain  a  knowledge  whether  they  are  fit  and  proper  objects  of  its  bounty. 

In  all  cases  referred  to  them,  or  that  may  occur  in  the  performance  of  their 
duty,  they  shall  report  in  writing  to  the  Society  a  statement  of  facts,  with  their  opinion 
thereon. 

§  4.  In  cases  when  applications  are  made  to  the  Almoners,  during  the  recess  of  the 
Society,  by  pensioners  or  others,  and  where  petitions  or  applications  have  been  referred 
to  them,  and  on  examination  it  shall  appear  that  the  applicant  or  applicants  are  entitled 
to  relief  by  the  By-Laws,  and  that  the  circumstances  of  the  case  are  such  as  to  require 
immediate  assistance,  and  will  not  admit  of  the  delay  necessary  to  make  a  formal  report 
thereof,  then  it  shall  and  may  be  lawful  for  them  to  make  a  donation,  not  to  exceed 
ten  dollars,  to  each  applicant,  for  each  and  every  month  during  the  continuance  of  their 
several  necessities,  and  only  during  the  recess  of  the  Society  :  Provided,  always,  that 
they  shall  report  in  writing,  at  the  next  meeting  thereafter,  the  amount  thus  advanced 
and  the  name  and  situation  of  the  person  thus  relieved. 

Chapter  IX. — A  Law  relative  to  the  Mechanics'  School  and  Apprentices'  Library. 

Whereas  this  Society,  duly  impressed  with  the  importance  of  education  in  early 
life,  did,  by  a  resolution  passed  November,  1820, 

Resolve  to  establish  a  school  for  the  gratuitous  education,  in  whole  or  in  part,  of 
the  children  of  deceased  or  other  members  whose  situation  required  it,  and  for  that 
purpose  applied  to  the  Legislature  for  an  amendment  to  the  charter,  authorizing  the 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


257 


expenditure  of  money  for  that  object,  and  also  for  the  establishment  of  a  Library  for  the 
use  of  Apprentices  of  Mechanics  in  this  City,  which  was  accordingly  granted  by  the 
act  passed  26th  January,  182 1.  Therefore, 

§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New-York,  That  this  Society  do  maintain  and  support  a  School  and  Library  for  the 
purposes  aforesaid,  and  that  the  same  be  kept  in  the  Mechanics'  Institution  in  Chambers 
street. 

§  2.  That  the  President  (or,  in  his  absence,  the  officer  presiding)  shall,  at  the  meeting 
of  the  Society,  held  in  February  of  each  year,  nominate,  and,  with  the  consent  of  the 
Society,  appoint  twelve  members  to  constitute  the  School  Committee,  to  serve  one  year, 
and  until  others  are  appointed  in  their  place. 

It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  said  committee  to  judge  of  the  qualifications  of,  and  to 
employ  and  discharge  teachers,  to  examine  and  decide  upon  the  claims  and  determine  the 
terms  of  admission  into  the  school  of  those  children  who  may  be  proposed  for  entrance  ; 
to  visit  the  school  at  least  monthly ;  to  make  rules  and  regulations  for  its  government,  and 
generally  to  superintend  its  concerns.  It  shall  also  be  the  duty  of  the  committee,  at  least 
once  in  each  year  (and  whenever  thereunto  required  by  a  resolution  of  the  Society),  to 
present  a  statement,  exhibiting  the  situation  of  the  school,  and  all  such  matters  connected 
therewith  as  will  enable  the  Society  to  form  a  just  estimate  of  the  same. 

§  3.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  President,  or,  in  his  absence,  the  officer  presiding  at 
the  time  and  manner  aforesaid,  also  to  nominate,  and,  with  the  consent  of  the  Society, 
appoint  six  members,  to  constitute  the  Library  Committee,  to  serve  for-one  year,  and  until 
others  are  appointed  in  their  place.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  said  committee  to  take 
charge  of  and  generally  to  superintend  the  concerns  of  the  library ;  to  employ  and  discharge 
librarians ;  to  establish  rules  and  regulations  for  the  good  government  of  the  library ;  to 
make  a  detailed  report  to  the  Society  annually,  exhibiting  the  actual  situation  of  the 
library,  a  catalogue  of  the  books  therein,  and  the  number  lost  or  missing ;  the  number  of 
accounts  open  with  readers  during  the  year,  and  such  other  information  as  will  enable  the 
Society  to  judge  of  the  progress  of,  and  the  benefits  derived  from,  the  insti  ation. 

Chapter  X. — A  Law  regulating  the  proposition  of  Candidates. 

§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New-York,  That  the  art  or  trade  of  every  person  to  be  proposed  as  a  member  of  this 
Society  shall  be  entered  by  the  Secretary  on  the  minutes  of  the  meeting  at  which  such 
proposition  is  made ;  and  the  Society  shall  in  no  case  proceed  to  ballot  for  such  person  as 
a  member  unless  two  of  the  brothers  shall  have  previously  vouched  for  his  character,  as  it 
relates  to  industry,  honesty,  and  sobriety ;  and  also  for  his  being  a  mechanic  or  trades- 
man, and  a  citizen  of  the  United  States. 

Chapter  XI. — A  Law  regulating  the  Ceremony  of  the  Initiation  of  Members. 

§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New-York,  That  every  person  who  may  hereafter  be  elected  a  member  of  this  Society 


258 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


shall,  within  three  meetings  thereafter,  apply  for  the  purpose  of  being  initiated  ;  and  in  case 
any  person  so  elected  shall  neglect  to  apply  within  the  time  aforesaid,  his  election  shall,  by 
such  neglect,  become  void. 

§  2.  All  members  who  are  in  waiting  for  the  purpose  of  being  initiated  shall  be 
regularly  introduced  to  the  Society  by  two  brothers,  previously  appointed  by  the  President 
or  presiding  officer  as  masters  of  ceremonies  for  that  evening.  The  masters  of  ceremonies, 
when  arrived  at  the  door  of  the  Hall,  accompanied  by  the  person  or  persons  to  be  initiated, 
shall  give  notice  thereof  by  three  distinct  raps,  which  shall  be  answered  by  the  President 
with  two  strokes  of  his  hammer ;  the  brothers  at  the  same  time  will  rise  and  uncover, 
while  the  masters  of  ceremonies  shall  approach  the  chair,  and  present  the  newly  elected 
member  or  members.  The  presiding  officer  will  then  address  them  as  follows.  [To  be 
spoken  in  the  plural  or  singular,  as  the  case  may  require.] 

"  Fellow  Citizens  : 

"  You  have  been  regularly  admitted  members  of  this  Society.  This  mark  of  favor  with 
which  our  institution  has  honored  you  is  the  happy  result  of  those  flattering  recommenda- 
tions we  have  received  of  your  character.  Let  sobriety,  industry,  integrity,  and  upright- 
ness of  heart  continue  the  ornaments  of  your  name. 

"  We  now  hail  you  brothers !  Delightful  union,  when  the  bond  of  friendship  is 
benevolence !  To  dry  the  tear  from  misery's  eye,  to  succor  the  afflicted,  and  to  confer 
the  blessings  of  education  upon  the  children  of  poor  or  deceased  members,  whose  situation 
may  render  the  aid  of  the  Society  requisite,  is  our  present  aim,  and  constituted  a  principal 
object  with  the  foupders  of  this  institution. 

"  You  are  now  about  to  join  your  efforts  to  those  of  your  brethren  around  you ;  a 
compliance  with  the  tenor  of  our  laws  will  entitle  you  to  an  equal  participation  of  the 
privileges  and  benefits  derived  from  this  incorporation.  ^lay  the  interests,  harmony,  and 
reputation  of  this  General  Association  be  ever  dear  to  you.  . 

"  You  will  inscribe  your  names  on  the  general  register  of  this  Society,  in  whose  behalf 
I  tender  you  the  right  hand  of  fellowship." 

CHAPTER  XII. — A  Law  relative  to  the  Funds  of  this  Society,  and  to  regulate  the  contributions 

of  its  members. 

§  i.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New-York,  That  each  person  admitted  a  member  of  this  Society  shall  pay  as  an 
initiation  fee  ten  dollars,  to  be  paid  to  the  Treasurer,  or,  in  his  absence,  to  the  Secretary, 
immediately  after  his  being  initiated,  and  he  shall  also  pay  to  the  Treasurer  twelve  dollars, 
in  three  equal  annual  installments ;  and  in  default  thereof  he  shall  forfeit  the  sum  paid  as 
an  initiation  fee  and  his  right  of  membership :  Provided,  however,  that  if  any  person 
admitted  as  aforesaid  shall  pay  to  the  Treasurer  or  Secretary,  at  the  time  of  his  becoming 
a  member,  the  sum  of  twenty  dollars,  he  shall  be  exempt  from  all  future  payments,  and  be 
entitled  to  all  the  privileges  and  advantages  derived  from  this  incorporation. 

§  2.  If  any  members,  who  are  not  exempted  by  this  ordinance  from  the  payment  of 
monthly  or  annual  contributions,  shall  neglect  or  refuse  to  pay  the  same  for  eighteen 
months  in  succession  (except  such  as  may  plead  indigence  as  a  reason  for  non-payment, 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


259 


and  whose  plea  may  be  allowed  and  sanctioned  by  the  Society),  they  shall  be  expelled 
agreeably  to  the  provisions  of  the  Charter :  Provided,  however,  that  all  members  who  may 
have  removed  from  the  city  shall  be  allowed  a  further  extension  of  twelve  months  before 
they  shall  be  expelled  as  aforesaid. 

§  3.  All  members  who  have  not  paid  the  sum  of  twenty  dollars  shall  continue  to  pay 
the  monthly  or  annual  dues  which  were  prescribed  by  the  by-laws  in  force  at  the  time  of 
their  admission. 

Chapter  XIII. — A  Law  to  direct  the  Appropriations  of  the  Funds  and  fix  the  Pensions  of 

the  Widows  and  Orphans. 

§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New-York,  That  as  it  is  the  leading  object  of  this  Society  to  relieve  the  necessities  of 
unfortunate  members,  every  such  person,  having  complied  with  the  provisions  of  the 
twelfth  chapter  of  our  by-laws,  shall  be  entitled  to  receive  such  sums  as  the  Society  may 
from  time  to  time  direct. 

§  2.  Whenever  it  shall  appear  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  almoners  that  the  situation  or 
circumstances  of  any  member  who  has  applied  for  relief  is  such  that  he  will  require 
assistance  more  than  one  year,  or  during  his  natural  life,  it  shall  be  their  duty  to  report  to 
the  Society,  for  their  concurrence,  a  specific  sum,  which,  in  their  opinion,  under  all  the 
circumstances,  ought  to  be  granted  as  a  yearly  pension  to  such  member ;  which  pension,  if 
concurred  in  by  the  Society,  shall  be  paid  by  the  Treasurer  in  the  same  manner  and  at  the 
same  periods  that  other  pensions  are  paid. 

§  3.  In  the  event  of  the  death  of  any  member,  being  in  indigent  circumstances,  his 
widow,  orphan,  or  orphans  shall  be  entitled  to  receive  assistance  agreeable  to  the  following 
regulations : 

1.  All  widows  entered  or  who  may  be  entered  on  the  pension  list,  having  no  young 
children,  shall  be  allowed  twenty-five  dollars  per  annum. 

2.  All  widows  having  children  under  the  age  of  fourteen  years  shall  be  allowed  the 
sum  of  five  dollars  per  annum  for  each  child. 

3.  WThen  a  child,  whose  mother  is  on  the  pension  list,  shall  arrive  to  the  age  of  four- 
teen years,  the  pension  of  the  widow  for  such  child  shall  cease  from  that  day  forward. 

4.  Every  child  having  no  parents  living,  and  who  shall  be  entered  on  the  pension  list, 
shall  be  allowed  the  sum  of  fifteen  dollars  per  annum  until  it  shall  arrive  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  years ;  the  said  money  to  be  paid  to  the  guardian  of  the  child,  or  such  other 
person  as  the  almoners  shall  approve. 

Chapter  XIV. — A  Law  respecting  the  Seal  and  Plate  for  Certificates  of  this  Society. 

■  §  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New- York,  That  there  shall  be  a  seal  provided  by  the  Society,  emblematical  of  its 
institution,  with  such  device  as  shall  be  agreed  on ;  the  same  to  be  kept  by  the  Secretary, 
for  the  purpose  of  sealing  all  certificates  of  admission  and  other  transactions  whereunto  it 
is  proper  a  seal  should  be  affixed,  in  order  that  the  whole  of  its  acts  and  proceedings  may 
be  regularly  authenticated. 


260 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


§  2.  The  seal  of  the  Society  shall  not  be  affixed  to  any  instrument  of  writing,  for  any 
purpose  whatsoever  (except  certificates  of  admission  and  the  application  for  the  common 
school  money  for  the  school),  at  any  other  time  or  place  than  at  a  regular  meeting  of  this 
Society. 

§  3.  The  plate  for  the  certificates  of  membership  shall  be  kept  by  the  Secretary  of  this 
Society,  and  each  member  shall  be  entitled  to  a  certificate  (on  the  payment  of  one  dollar), 
dated  from  the  time  of  his  initiation. 

Chapter  XV. — A  Law  authorizing  the  election  of  a  Finance  and  Loaning  Committee,  and 

prescribing  their  duties. 

§  1.  Beit  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the 
City  of  New- York,  That  the  Society  shall,  at  every  annual  meeting,  elect  by  ballot  a  com- 
mittee of  four  members,  to  constitute  a  Finance  and  Loaning  Committee. 

§  2.  When  application  is  made  to  the  Society  for  money  which  may  have  been  directed 
to  be  put  out  on  loan,  a  majority  of  the  members  of  the  committee,  on  examining  the 
property  offered  to  be  mortgaged,  and  finding  it  agreeable  to  the  regulations  in  the  fol- 
lowing section,  shall  have  power  to  loan  the  same.  ' 

§  3.  No  money  shall  be  loaned  out  by  the  Society  unless  the  borrower  lives,  and  the 
property  to  be  mortgaged  be  situated  within  the  city  and  county  of  New- York,  and  unless 
the  property  offered  to  be  mortgaged  be  twice  the  value  of  the  sum  to  be  loaned. 

§  4.  In  case  there  should  be  more  than  one  ajjplicant  at  the  same  time  for  any  sum 
to  be  loaned,  it  is  hereby  made  the  duty  of  the  President  to  determine  by  lot  which  of  the 
applicants  shall  have  the  preference;  but  the  members  of  this  Society  shall  have  the 
preference  of  all  other  applicants. 

§  5.  On  the  first  meeting  after  the  loaning  of  any  moneys,  the  committee  shall  report 
to  the  Society  a  regular  account  of  their  proceedings. 

§  6.  All  the  repairs  to  the  Mechanics'  Institution  and  Mechanics'  Hall  shall  be  done 
under  the  direction  and  by  the  order  of  the  said  committee,  and  no  expenditure  shall  be 
made  for  account  of  the  Society  (except  the  specific  appropriations  to  the  Almoners  of  the 
Poor,  the  Library  and  School  Committees,  and  the  payment  of  pensions)  but  through  the 
medium  of  the  Finance  and  Loaning  Committee,  who  are  to  account  for  the  same  in  the 
manner  prescribed  in  chapter  sixteen. 

CHAPTER  XVI. — A  Law  relative  to  the  Lxpcnditures  of  the  Society. 

Whereas,  the  ability  of  this  institution  to  succor  the  afflicted  and  to  educate  the 
children  of  poor  or  deceased  members  materially  depends  upon  an  economical  expenditure 
of  its  funds  and  the  prompt  accountability  of  those  to  whom  they  are  confided;  therefore, 
§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New-York,  That  at  the  meeting  in  February  of  each  year,  or  if,  from  any  cause,  a  meet- 
ing should  not  be  held,  then  at  the  next  meeting  thereafter,  appropriations  for  the  current 
year  shall  be  made  of  such  sums  as  may  then  be  deemed  sufficient,  and  within  the  means 
.  of  the  treasury,  for  the  Almoners  of  the  Society,  the  School  and  Library  Committees,  and 
the  Finance  and  Loaning  Committee,  to  be  by  the  said  committees  drawn  from  the  treas- 
ury quarterly ;  and  the  Treasurer  is  hereby  authorized  to  pay  the  said  drafts,  with  the 
exceptions  hereinafter  mentioned. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


§  2.  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Almoners  of  this  Society,  the  School,  Library, 
and  the  Finance  and  Loaning  Committees,  and  they  are  hereby  required,  to  report  to  the 
Society  quarterly  —  to  wit,  at  the  meetings  held  in  May,  August,  November,  and  February 
of  each  year — an  account  of  their  receipts  and  expenditures  for  the  preceding  quarter,  and 
the  vouchers  for  all  moneys  paid  by  them  ;  and  in  default  thereof  the  Treasurer  is  hereby 
prohibited  from  paying  their  drafts  for  any  subsequent  quarter  until  the  accounts  and 
vouchers  are  rendered  ;  said  accounts  and  vouchers  to  be  delivered  to  the  Treasurer,  to  be 
filed  and  regularly  entered  into  his  books. 

§  3.  That  the  Treasurer  shall  not  pay  any  bills  or  orders,  except  as  above  mentioned, 
unless  so  directed  by  a  vote  of  the  Society  :  Provided,  however,  that  nothing  herein  con- 
tained shall  prevent  the  Treasurer  from  paying  the  pensions  due  by  the  Society. 

Chapter  XVII. —  Rules  of  order  to  be  observed  at  the  meetings  of  this  Society. 

1.  On  the  appearance  of  a  quorum  the  President  shall  take  the  chair,  and  the 
members  shall  be  called  to  order. 

2.  Immediately  after  the  President  shall  have  taken  the  chair  the  minutes  of  the 
preceding  meeting  shall  be  read  by  the  Secretary,  that  any  mistakes  therein  may  be 
corrected  by  the  Society. 

3.  When  the  Society  adjourns,  the  members  shall  keep  their  seats  until  the  President 
leaves  the  chair. 

4.  Every  member  wishing  to  speak  shall  rise  from  his  seat  and  address  himself  to  the 
President,  and,  unless  conscientiously  scrupulous,  shall  be  uncovered. 

5.  When  two  or  more  members  rise  at  once,  the  President  shall  name  the  member 
who  is  first  to  speak. 

6.  No  member  shall  speak  more  than  twice  to  the  same  question  until  he  shall  have 
obtained  leave  from  the  Society. 

7.  No  motion  shall  be  debated  or  put  unless  the  same  be  seconded.  When  a  motion 
is  seconded  it  shall  be  stated  by  the  President  before  debate,  and  every  such  motion  shall 
be  reduced  to  writing  if  the  President  or  any  five  members  desire  it. 

8.  After  a  motion  is  stated  by  the  President  it  shall  be  deemed  to  b  •  in  possession  of 
the  Society,  but  may  be  withdrawn  at  any  time  before  decision  01  amendment. 

9.  When  any  question  is  under  debate,  no  motion  shall  be  received  unless  to  amend 
it  or  to  postpone  it  to  a  certain  day,  for  the  previous  question,  or  to  adjourn. 

10.  The  previous  question,  until  it  is  decided,  shall  preclude  all  amendment  and 
debate  of  the  main  question ;  and  shall  be  in  this  form  :  Shall  the  main  question  now 
be  put  ? 

11.  A  motion  to  adjourn  shall  be  always  in  order,  and  shall  be  decided  without 
debate. 

12.  No  member  shall  speak  more  than  once  upon  a  previous  question. 

13.  Petitions,  memorials,  and  other  papers  addressed  to  the  Society,  shall  be  presented 
by  the  President,  or  by  a  member  in  his  place. 

14.  Whilst  the  President  is  putting  a  question  no  member  shall  walk  out  of  or  across 
the  room,  nor  when  a  member  is  speaking  shall  any  one  entertain  private  discourse  or  pass 
between  him  and  the  chair. 


262 


GEXERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


15.  Even- bill  shall  receive  three  several  readings  previous  to  its  being  passed :  the 
second  and  third  reading  shall  be  at  different  meetings,  unless  the  Society  unanimously 
direct  otherwise. 

16.  All  questions  in  the  Society  shall  be  put  in  the  order  they  were  moved,  except 
that  in  filling  up  blanks  the  largest  siim  and  longest  time  shall  be  first  put. 

Chapter  XVIII. — A  Law  repealing  the  By-Laws  heretofore  passed. 

Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of 
New- York,  That  from  and  after  the  first  day  of  January  next,  all  by-laws,  rules,  and  regu- 
lations heretofore  ordained  be  and  the  same  are  hereby  repealed. 

Passed  in  Society.  December  3d,  1823. 

John  Sctphen, 
Second  Vice-President  and  presiding  officer. 

Attest :  James  Hopson,  Secretary. 


APPENDIX  G. 


BY-LAWS. 

Chapter  I. — A  Law  fixing  the  time  and  place  of  the  Meetings  of  this  Society. 

§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New- York.  That  the  meetings  of  this  Society  shall  be  held  at  the  Mechanics'  Institution 

in  Crosby  street 

§  2.  In  addition  to  the  annual  meetings  of  this  Society,  to  be  held  on  the  second 
Tuesday  in  January,  in  even-  year,  regular  meetings  shall  be  held  on  the  first  Wednesday 
in  every  month,  at  an  hour  after  sunset;  and  the  first  Wednesday  in  March,  June,  Septem- 
ber, and  December  are  hereby  designated  as  quarterly  meetings,  and  the  first  Wednesday 
in  April,  May,  July,  August,  October,  November,  January,  and  February  as  monthly 
meetings,  of  this  Society.  .  v 

§  3.  Whenever  seven  members  shall  deem  it  expedient  to  have  a  special  meeting 
they  shall  signify  it  in  writing  to  the  President  for  the  time  being,  who  shall  direct  the 
Secretary  to  notify  the  members  accordingly. 

Chapter  II. — A  Law  respecting  the  Election  of  Officers. 

§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New-York.  That  at  the  quarterly  meeting  in  December  in  every  year,  or  as  soon  there- 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


263 


after  as  may  be,  six  members  shall  be  chosen  by  the  Society,  as  inspectors  of  the  annual 
election  of  officers ;  three  of  whom  shall  be  designated  to  receive,  canvass,  and  estimate 
the  votes  given  for  President,  First  Vice-President,  Second  Vice-President,  Treasurer, 
Secretary,  Collector,  and  Door-keeper,  and  three  to  receive,  canvass,  and  estimate  the 
votes  given  for  the  Finance  Committee  and  Almoners  of  the  Society. 

§  2.  When  a  quorum  of  members  are  met  on  the  morning  of  the  anniversary,  the 
presiding  officer  for  the  time  being  shall,  between  the  hours  of  ten  and  twelve  o'clock 
a.  m.,  call  them  to  order ;  when,  after  going  through  the  ordinary  business  of  the  Society, 
they  shall  proceed  by  ballot  to  the  choice  of  their  officers  for  the  ensuing  year :  Pro- 
vided always,  should  it  at  any  time  happen  that  a  quorum  of  members  is  not  present 
at  or  before  eleven  o'clock  a.  m.,  the  opening  of  the  poll  for  the  election  of  officers  shall 
not  be  suspended  beyond  that  hour. 

§  3.  The  poll  for  election  shall  be  opened  and  kept  open  not  less  than  two  hours, 
and  shall  not  be  closed  before  one  o'clock  p.  m.;  and  the  inspectors  shall  give  notice 
of  its  closing  at  least  fifteen  minutes  preceding.  Immediately  on  closing  the  poll  they 
shall  proceed  to  canvass  the  votes,  and,  on  completing  the  same,  shall  regularly  certify 
under  their  hands  the  persons  having  a  majority  of  votes ;  which  certificate  shall,  pro- 
vided a  quorum  of  members  are  present,  be  reported  forthwith  to  the  Society ;  otherwise, 
deposited  with  the  Secretary,  and  registered  on  the  minutes. 

§  4.  Special  elections  for  filling  vacancies,  occasioned  by  death,  resignation,  or 
removal,  shall  be  at  a  stated  meeting  of  the  Society,  not  less  than  two  nor  more  than 
three  months  after  such  vacancies  shall  have  happened ;  and  the  presiding  officer  shall 
cause  the  members  to  be  notified  thereof,  in  the  papers  employed  by  this  Society,  at  least 
one  week  previous  to  the  time  of  such  election. 

Chapter  III. —  A  Law  prescribing  the  Duties  of  the  President  and  Vice-Presidents. 

§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New- York,  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  President  to  preside  at  all  meetings  of  the 
Society ;  to  preserve  decorum,  and  decide  all  questions  of  order,  subject,  however,  to  an 
appeal  to  the  Society.  He  shall  not  vote  in  any  case,  unless  the  Society  be  equally 
divided. 

§  2.  In  case  of  the  absence  of  the  President,  the  first  Vice-President  shall  preside  and 
perform  the  duties  of  the  President ;  and  in  case  of  the  absence  of  both  the  President  and 
the  first  Vice-President,  the  second  Vice-President  shall  in  like  manner  preside  and  perform 
the  said  duties ;  and  in  the  event  of  all  the  said  officers  being  absent,  the  Society  (a 
quorum  being  present)  shall  appoint  a  President  pro  te7tipore,  who  shall  perform  all  the 
duties  incident  to  the  office. 

§  3.  The  President  of  the  Society  shall  be  ex  officio  a  member  of  the  School  Com- 
mittee ;  the  first  Vice-President  ex  officio  a  member  of  the  Library  Committee ;  and  the 
second  Vice-President  ex  officio  a  member  of  the  Finance  Committee. 

Chapter  IV. — A  Law  prescribing  the  Duties  of  the  Treasurer. 

§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New- York,  That  before  the  Treasurer  enters  upon  the  duties  of  his  office,  he  shall 


264 


GENERAL      SOCIETY  OF 


annually  give  a  bond  to  the  Society,  with  two  sufficient  sureties,  in  a  sum  not  less  than 
two  thousand  dollars,  for  the  faithful  performance  of  the  trust  reposed  in  him. 

§  2.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Treasurer  to  collect  the  rents  of  the  Mechanics'  Hall 
and  of  the  building  in  Chambers  street,  the  interest  of  any  money  secured  by  bond  and 
mortgage,  the  dividend  from  the  Mechanics'  Bank  on  the  stock  held  by  the  Society,  the 
initiation  fees,  and  generally  all  moneys  owing  to  the  Society. 

He  shall  pay  all  specific  orders  drawn  on  him  by  a  resolution  of  the  Society,  and 
signed  by  the  presiding  officer ;  also  the  quarterly  drafts  of  the  School,  Library,  and  Finance 
Committees  and  Almoners  of  the  Society,  in  conformity  with  the  provisions  of  the  15th 
chapter  of  the  by-laws. 

He  shall  report  at  every  quarterly  meeting  the  state  of  the  finances  and  funds,  and 
subjoin  his  own  account  thereto,  for  the  inspection  of  the  members ;  and  also  such  list  of 
delinquents  as  shall  be  furnished  him  by  the  Collector,  particularly  specifying  the  cause  of 
their  delinquency.  And  for  his  services  he  shall  be  allowed  a  compensation  of  fifty  dollars 
per  annum. 

§  3.  The  Society  shall  appoint  annually  a  committee  of  three  members  to  examine  the 
books  of  the  Treasurer,  Secretary,  and  Collector,  respectively,  who  shall  report  the  result 
at  the  next  regular  meeting  of  the  Society  thereafter. 

§  4.  When  a  new  Treasurer  is  chosen,  his  predecessor  in  office  shall  be  allowed  twenty 
days  to  adjust  and  settle  his  accounts,  and  other  matters  appertaining  to  the  duties  of  his 
office. 

In  the  absence  of  the  Treasurer,  the  presiding  officer  shall  appoint  a  Treasurer  pro 

tempore. 

Chapter  V. — A  Law  prescribing  the  Duties  of  the  Secretary. 

§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New- York,  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Secretary  to  attend  every  meeting  of  the 
Society,  except  prevented  by  sickness,  or  absence  from  the  city. 

§  2.  He  shall  keep  minutes  of  their  proceedings,  and  regularly  record  the  same, 
together  with  all  reports  made  to  the  Society,  in  a  book  provided  for  the  purpose ;  and 
shall  also  file  and  number  all  original  papers,  resolutions,  and  other  documents.  And  when 
reporting  the  minutes  of  the  preceding  meeting,  he  shall  read  them  as  then  written  in  the 
book  of  minutes. 

He  shall  also  keep  a  book  wherein  each  member's  name  and  occupation  shall  be 
inserted,  in  such  order  and  manner  that  it  will  appear  when  he  was  admitted,  expelled,  died, 
or  withdrew,  as  the  case  may  be;  which  book  shall  be  the  general  register  of  the  Society. 

He  shall  notify  forthwith  each  person  who  has  been  elected  a  member  of  this  Society 
of  such  election ;  and  in  case  of  the  election  of  any  member  not  present  to  an  office,  he 
shall  also  notify  him  of  his  election. 

When  committees  are  appointed,  it  shall  be  his  duty  to  give  notice  to  the  member  first 
named  on  the  committee,  with  a  written  copy  of  the  resolution,  matter,  or  thing  referred, 
and  the  names  of  the  other  members  of  the  committee. 

When  motions  are  made  and  seconded,  he  shall  record  the  names  of  those  members 
by  whom  they  are  made  and  seconded. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


265 


He  shall  cause  public  notice  to  be  given  of  all  the  meetings  of  the  Society,  by  one 
insertion  in  as  many  of  the  daily  papers  of  the  city  as  the  Society  shall  direct,  on  the  day 
on  which  the  meeting  takes  place ;  provided  the  papers  do  not  charge  over  five  dollars  per 
annum  for  advertisements. 

§  3.  In  the  absence  or  inability  of  the  Secretary,  the  presiding  officer  shall  appoint  one 
of  the  members  to  officiate  as  Secretary  pro  tempore. 

§  4.  The  Secretary  shall  be  allowed  for  his  services  an  annual  salary  of  fifty  dollars. 

Chapter  VI.— A  Law  prescribing  the  Duties  of  the  Collector. 

§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New-York,  That  whenever  a  Collector  is  elected,  before  he  enters  on  the  duties  of  his 
office,  he  shall  give  a  bond  to  the  Society,  with  one  sufficient  surety,  in  the  sum  of  two 
hundred  dollars. 

§  2.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Collector  to  call  on  all  members  residing  in  this  city, 
who  may  be  in  arrears  for  their  dues,  and,  on  receiving  the  same,  give  receipts  if  required. 

He  shall  make  quarterly  returns  to  the  Treasurer,  in  writing,  of  all  delinquents  who 
are  twelve  or  more  months  in  arrears,  specifying  particularly  the  cause  or  causes  of  their 
delinquency. 

He  shall  pay  to  the  Treasurer,  at  least  once  in  every  quarter,  all  moneys  by  him 
collected  as  aforesaid. 

He  shall  keep  an  alphabetical  list  of  the  members,  in  a  book  ruled  with  columns 
for  each  quarter,  in  such  manner  that  it  may  be  readily  seen  how  many  months  each 
person  is  in  arrears  for  contributions. 

§  3.  For  the  faithful  performance  of  the  above  duties  the  Collector  shall  be  allowed 
ten  per  cent,  on  all  moneys  collected  by  him  and  paid  to  the  Treasurer. 

Chapter  VII. — A  Law  prescribing  the  Duties  of  the  Door-keeper  and  Messenger. 

§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the 
City  of  New- York,  That  the  Door-keeper  shall  attend  all  the  meetings  of  the  Society,  and 
shall  suffer  no  person  except  members  to  eriter  the  hall  during  the  time  of  meeting  without 
the  permission  of  the  Society.  He  shall  deliver  to  members  elect  the  notices  prepared  and 
handed  to  him  by  the  Secretary,  informing  them  of  their  election. 

He  shall  at  all  times  have  the  Hall  ready  and  prepared  for  the  meetings  of  the  Society, 
and  as  a  compensation  therefor  shall  be  allowed  two  dollars  for  each  meeting  of  the 
Society  which  he  attends. 

Chapter  VIII. — A  Law  authorizing  the  Election  of  Almoners,  and  designating  their  Duties. 

§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New-York,  that  four  members  of  this  Society  shall  be  elected  at  the  annual  meeting 
as  Almoners,  who  shall  hold  their  office  for  one  year,  and  until  others  are  elected  in  their 
place. 

§  2.  All  applications  made  to  this  Society  for  relief,  either  personally  or  by  petition, 
shall  be  referred  to  the  Almoners. 


266 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


§  3.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Almoners  to  inquire  into  the  circumstances  of  every  » 
member,  or  of  the  widow,  orphan,  or  orphans  of  any  deceased  member  who  may  apply  for 

assistance. 

They  shall  register  in  a  book,  to  be  kept  for  that  purpose,  the  names  of  the  pensioners 
and  the  names  and  ages  of  their  children,  and  shall  pay  at  stated  periods  their  pensions  as 
fixed  by  law. 

They  shall  also  inquire  into  the  circumstances  of  each  member  who  may  plead 
indigence  as  a  cause  for  not  paying  his  monthly  or  annual  dues. 

They  shall  visit,  from  time  to  time,  the  several  pensioners  of  this  Society,  in  order 
that  they  may  obtain  a  knowledge  whether  they  are  fit  and  proper  objects  of  its  bounty. 

In  all  cases  referred  to  them,  or  that  may  occur  in  the  performance  of  their  duty, 
they  shall  report  in  writing  to  the  Society  a  statement  of  facts,  with  their  opinion  thereon. 

§  4.  In  cases  when  applications  are  made  to  the  Almoners,  during  the  recess  of  the 
Society,  by  pensioners  or  others,  and  where  petitions  or  applications  have  been  referred  to 
them,  and  on  examination  it  shall  appear  that  the  applicant  or  applicants  are  entitled  to 
relief  by  the  by-laws,  and  that  the  circumstances  of  the  case  are  such  as  to  require  imme- 
diate assistance,  and  will  not  admit  of  the  delay  necessary  to  make  a  formal  report  thereof, 
then  it  shall  and  may  be  lawful  for  them  to  make  a  don'ation  not  to  exceed  ten  dollars  to 
each  applicant,  for  each  and  every  month  during  the  continuance  of  their  several  neces- 
sities, and  only  during  the  recess  of  the  Society  :  Provided,  always,  that  they  shall  report 
in  writing,  at  the  next  meeting  thereafter,  the  amount  thus  advanced,  and  the  name  and 
situation  of  the  person  thus  relieved. 

Chapter  IX. — A  Law  relative  to  the  Mechanics'  School  and  Apprentices'  Library. 

Whereas,  this  Society,  duly  impressed  with  the  importance  of  education  in  early  life, 
did  by  a  resolution,  passed  November,  1820, 

Resolve  to  establish  a  school  for  the  gratuitous  education,  in  whole  or  in  part,  of  the 
children  of  deceased  or  other  members,  whose  situation  required  it,  and  for  that  purpose 
applied  to  the  Legislature  for  an  amendment  to  the  Charter,  authorizing  the  expenditure 
of  money  for  that  object;  and  also  for  the  establishment  of  a  library  for  the  use  of 
apprentices  of  mechanics  in  this  city,  which  was  accordingly  granted  by  the  act  passed 
26th  January,  1821,  and  continued  in  force  by^  the  act  of  February,  1833.  Therefore, 

§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New-York,  That  this  Society  do  maintain  and  support  a  school  and  library,  for  the 
purposes  aforesaid,  and  that  the  same  be  kept  in  the  Mechanics'  Institution  in  Crosby  street. 

§  2.  That  the  President  (or,  in  his  absence,  the  officer  presiding)  shall,  at  the  meeting 
of  the  Society  held  in  February  of  each  year,  nominate  and,  with  the  consent  of  the 
Society,  appoint  twelve  members  to  constitute  the  School  Committee,  to  serve  one  year, 
and  until  others  are  appointed  in  their  place. 

It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  said  committee  to  judge  of  the  qualifications  of  and  to 
employ  and  discharge  teachers,  to  examine  and  decide  upon  the  claims  and  determine  the 
terms  of  admission  into  the  school  of  those  children  who  may  be  proposed  for  entrance; 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


267 


to  visit  the  school  at  least  monthly ;  to  make  rules  and  regulations  for  its  government,  and 
generally  to  superintend  its  concerns.  It  shall  also  be  the  duty  of  the  committee,  at  least 
once  in  each  year  (and  whenever  thereunto  required  by  a  resolution  of  the  Society),  to 
present  a  statement,  exhibiting  the  situation  of  .the  school,  and  all  such  matters  connected 
therewith  as  will  enable  the  Society  to  form  a  just  estimate  of  the  same. 

§  3.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  President  (or,  in  his  absence,  the  officer  presiding),  at 
the  time  and  manner  aforesaid,  also  to  nominate  and,  with  the  consent  of  the  Society, 
appoint  twelve  members,  to  constitute  the  Library  Committee,  to  serve  for  one  year,  and 
until  others  are  appointed  in  their  place. 

It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  said  committee  to  take  charge  of  and  generally  to  super- 
intend the  concerns  of  the  library  and  reading-rooms;  to  employ  and  discharge  Librarians; 
to  establish  rules  and  regulations  for  the  good  government  of  the  library  and  reading- 
rooms  ;  to  make  a  detailed  report  to  the  Society  annually,  exhibiting  the  actual  situation 
of  the  library,  a  catalogue  of  the  books  therein,  and  the  number  lost  or  missing;  the 
number  of  accounts  open  with  readers  during  the  year,  and  such  other  information  as  will 
enable  the  Society  to  judge  of  the  progress  of  and  the  benefits  derived  from  the  institution. 

Chapter  X. — A  Law  regulating  the  Proposition  of  Candidates. 

§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New-York,  That  the  art  or  trade  of  every  person  to  be  proposed  as  a  member  of  this 
Society  shall  be  entered  by  the  Secretary  on  the  minutes  of  the  meeting  at  which  such 
proposition  is  made;  and  the  Society  shall  in  no  case  proceed  to  ballot  for  such  person  as 
a  member  unless  four  of  the  brothers  shall  have  previously  vouched  for  his  character,  at 
the  time  of  his  being  proposed,  as  it  relates  to  industry,  honesty,  and  sobriety ;  and  also 
for  his  being  a  mechanic  or  tradesman,  and  a  citizen  of  the  United  States. 

§  2.  Every  person  admitted  a  member  of  this  Society  shall  pay  to  the  Treasurer, 
immediately  after  his  initiation,  the  sum  of  thirty  dollars. 

Chapter  XI. — A  Law  regulating  the  Ceremony  of  the  Initiation  of  Members. 

§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Trade -men  of  the  City 
of  New-York,  That  every  person  who  may  hereafter  be  elected  a  member  of  this  Society 
shall,  within  three  regular  meetings  thereafter,  apply  for  the  purpose  of  being  initiated; 
and  in  case  any  person  so  elected  shall  neglect  to  apply  within  the  time  aforesaid,  his 
election  shall,  by  such  neglect,  become  void. 

§  2.  All  persons  who  are  in  waiting  for  the  purpose  of  being  initiated  shall  be  regu- 
larly introduced  to  the  Society  by  two  brothers  previously  appointed  by  the  President,  or 
presiding  officer,  as  masters  of  ceremonies  for  that  evening.  The  masters  of  ceremonies, 
when  arrived  at  the  door  of  the  Hall,  accompanied  by  the  person  or  persons  to  be  initiated, 
shall  give  notice  thereof  by  three  distinct  raps,  which  shall  be  answered  by  the  President 
with  two  strokes  of  his  hammer ;  the  brothers  at  the  same  time  will  rise,  while  the  masters 
of  ceremonies  shall  approach  the  chair,  and  present  the  newly  elected  member  or  members. 
The  presiding  officer  will  then  address  them  as  follows.  [To  be  spoken  in  the  plural  or 
singular,  as  the  case  may  require.] 


268 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


"  Fellow  Citizens  :  - 

"  In  accordance  with  the  usages  of  our  institution,  you  have  been  elected  members  of 
the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New-York.  This  mark 
of  favor,  conferred  upon  you  by  our  association,  is  the  result  of  the  satisfactory  testimonials 
we  have  received  of  your  characters.  May  sobriety,  industry,  and  integrity  ever  be  the 
ornaments  of  your  names. 

"  The  advantages  resulting  from  a  union  for  mutual  benefit  must  be  manifest  to  every 
reflecting  mind.  To  relieve  the  unfortunate,  the  widow,  and  the  oqman,  was  the  primary 
object  of  the  founders  of  this  incorporation.  With  the  increase  of  its  means,  its  usefulness 
has  been  extended  by  the  establishment  of  a  school,  in  which  the  children  of  poor  or 
deceased  members,  whose  situation  renders  our  assistance  necessary,  may  be  gratuitously 
educated  ;  and  also  of  a  library  and  reading-rooms,  designed  to  elevate  the  characters  and 
improve  the  minds  of  the  apprentices  of  the  mechanics  of  our  city. 

"  Your  aid  will  be  expected  in  advancing  the  objects  of  the  institution  ;  and  as  our 
laws  guarantee  to  you  all  its  benefits  and  privileges,  so  at  all  times  endeavor  to  promote 
the  harmony,  advance  the  interests,  and  guard  the  reputation  of  this  General  Association. 

"  We  now  hail  you  brothers !  A  delightful  union,  where  the  bond  of  friendship  is 
benevolence. 

"  You  will  inscribe  your  names  on  the  general  register  of  the  institution,  in  whose 
behalf  I  tender  you  the  right  hand  of  fellowship." 

Chapter  XII. —  A  Law  to  direct  the  appropriations  of  the  Funds,  and  fix  the  Pensions  of  the 

Widows  and  Orphans. 

§  i.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New- York,  That  as  it  is  the  leading  object  of  this  Society  to  relieve  the  necessities  of 
unfortunate  members,  all  such  persons,  having  complied  with  die  provisions  of  the  Charter 
and  By-Laws,  shall  be  entitled  to  receive  such  sums  as  the  Society  may  from  time  to 
time  direct. 

§  2.  Whenever  it  shall  appear  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  Almoners  that  the  situation  or 
circumstances  of  any  member  who  has  applied  for  relief  is  such  that  he  will  require 
assistance  more  than  one  year,  or  during  his  natural  life,  it  shall  be  their  duty  to  report  to 
the  Society,  for  their  concurrence,  a  specific  sum,  which,  in  their  opinion,  under  all  the 
circumstances,  ought  to  be  granted  as  a  yearly  pension  to  such  member ;  which  pension,  if 
concurred  in  by  the  Society,  shall  be  paid  by  the  Almoners,  in  the  same  manner  and  at  the 
same  periods  that  other  pensions  are  paid. 

§  3.  In  the  event  of  the  death  of  any  member,  being  in  indigent  circumstances,  his 
widow,  orphan,  or  orphans  shall  be  entitled  to  receive  assistance  agreeably  to  the  following 
regulations  : 

1.  All  widows  entered  or  who  may  be  entered  on  the  pension  list  shall  be  allowed 
twenty-five  dollars  per  annum. 

2.  All  widows  havings  children  under  the  age  of  fourteen  years  shall  be  allowed  the 
sum  of  five  dollars  per  annum  for  each  child. 

3.  When  a  child  whose  mother  is  on  the  pension  list  shall  arrive  at  the  age  of  fourteen 
years,  the  pension  of  the  widow  for  such  child  shall  cease  from  that  day  forward. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


269 


4.  Every  child,  having  no  parents  living,  and  who  shall  he  entered  on  the  pension  list, 
shall  be  allowed  the  sum  of  fifteen  dollars  per  annum,  until  it  shall  arrive  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  years,  the  said  money  to  be  paid  to  the  guardian  of  the  child  or  such  other  person 
as  the  Almoners  shall  approve. 

5.  The  rules  relative  to  pensioners  shall  be  so  construed  as  not  to  debar  non-residents 
from  receiving  pensions. 

Chapter  XIII.  —  A  Law  respecting  the  Seal  and  Plate  for  Certificates  of  this  Society. 

§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New- York,  That  there  shall  be  a  seal  provided  by  the  Society,  emblematical  of  its 
institution,  with  such  device  as  shall  be  agreed  on  ;  the  same  to  be  kept  by  the  Secretary 
for  the  puqDose  of  sealing  all  certificates  of  admission,  and  other  transactions  whereunto 
it  is  proper  a  seal  should  bs  affixed,  in  order  that  the  whole  of  its  acts  and  proceedings  may 
be  regularly  authenticated. 

§  2.  The  seal  of  the  Society  shall  not  be  affixed  to  any  instrument  of  writing,  for  any 
purpose  whatsoever  (except  certificates  of  admission,  and  the  application  for  the  common 
school  money,  for  the  school),  at  any  other  time  or  place  than  at  a  regular  meeting  of  this 
Society. 

§  3.  The  plate  for  the  certificates  of  membership  shall  be  kept  by  the  Secretary  of  this 
Society,  and  each  member  shall  be  entitled  to  a  certificate  (on  the  payment  of  one  dollar 
to  the  Secretary),  dated  from  the  time  of  his  initiation. 

Chapter  XIV. — A  Law  authorizing  the  Election  of  a  Finance  Committee,  and  prescribing  their  Duties. 

§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New- York,  That  the  Society  shall,  at  every  annual  meeting,  elect  by  ballot  a  committee 
of  four  members  to  constitute  a  finance  committee. 

§  2.  When  application  is  made  to  the  Society  for  money  which  may  have  been  directed 
to  be  put  out  on  loan,  a  majority  of  the  members  of  the  committee,  on  examining  the 
property  offered  to  be  mortgaged,  and  finding  it  agreeable  to  the  regulations  of  the  follow- 
ing section,  shall  have  power  to  loan  the  same. 

§  3.  No  money  shall  be  loaned  out  by  the  Society,  unless  the  borrower  lives,  and  the 
property  to  be  mortgaged  be  situated,  within  the  city  and  county  of  New- York  ;  and  unless 
the  property  offered  to  be  mortgaged  be  twice  the  value  of  the  sum  to  be  loaned. 

§  4.  On  the  first  meeting  of  the  Society  after  the  loaning  of  any  moneys,  the  com- 
mittee shall  report  a  regular  account  of  their  proceedings. 

§  5.  All  the  repairs  to  Mechanics'  Hall,  to  the  building  in  Chambers  street,  and  to  the 
Mechanics'  Institution  in  Crosby  street,  shall  be  done  under  the  direction  of  the  said 
committee. 

Chapter  XV. —  A  Law  relative  to  the  Expenditures  of  this  Society. 

Whereas,  the  ability  of  this  institution  to  succor  the  afflicted  and  to  educate  the 
children  of  poor  or  deceased  members  materially  depends  upon  an  economical  expendi- 
ture of  its  funds,  and  the  prompt  accountability  of  those  to  whom  they  are  confided, 
Therefore, 


270 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New-York,  That  at  the  meeting  in  February  of  each  year,  or  if  from  any  cause  a 
meeting  should  not  be  held,  then  at  the  next  meeting  thereafter,  appropriations  for  the 
current  year  shall  be  made,  of  such  sums  as  may  then  be  deemed  sufficient,  and  within  the 
means  of  the  Treasury,  for  the  Almoners  of  the  Society,  the  School  and  Library  Com- 
mittees, and  the  Finance  Committee,  to  be  by  the  said  committees  drawn  from  the  Treasury 
quarterly ;  and  the  Treasurer  is  hereby  authorized  to  pay  the  said  drafts,  with  the  exceptions 
hereinafter  mentioned. 

§  2.  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Almoners  of  this  Society,  the  School,  Library, 
and  the  Finance  Committees,  and  they  are  hereby  required,  to  report  to  the  Society 
quarterly,  to  wit,  at  the  meetings  held  in  May,  August,  November,  and  February  of  each 
year,  an  account  of  their  receipts  and  expenditures  for  the  preceding  quarter,  and  the 
vouchers  for  all  moneys  paid  by  them ;  and  in  default  thereof,  the  Treasurer  is  hereby  pro- 
hibited from  paying  their  draft,  for  any  subsequent  quarter,  until  the  accounts  and  vouchers 
are  rendered.  Said  accounts  and  vouchers  to  be  delivered  to  the  Treasurer,  to  be  filed  and 
regularly  entered  into  his  books. 

§  3.  That  the  Treasurer  shall  not  pay  any  bills  or  orders,  except  as  above  mentioned, 
unless  so  directed  by  a  vote  of  the  Society. 

Chapter  XVI. — Rules  of  Order  to  be  observed  at  the  Meetings  of  this  Society. 

1.  On  the  appearance  of  a  quorum,  the  President  shall  take  the  chair  and  the 
members  shall  be  called  to  order. 

2.  Immediately  after  the  President  shall  have  taken  the  chair  the  minutes  of  the 
preceding  meeting  shall  be  read  by  the  Secretary,  that  any  mistakes  therein  may  be 
corrected  by  the  Society. 

3.  When  the  Society  adjourns,  the  members  shall  keep  their  seats  until  the  President 
leaves  the  chair. 

4.  Every  member  wishing  to  speak  shall  rise  from  his  seat  and  address  himself  to  the 
President;  and,  unless  conscientiously  scrupulous,  shall  be  uncovered. 

5.  When  two  or  more  members  rise  at  once  the  President  shall  name  the  member  who 
is  first  to  speak. 

6.  No  member  shall  speak  more  than  twice  to  the  same  question  until  he  shall  have 
obtained  leave  from  the  Society. 

7.  No  motion  shall  be  debated  or  put  unless  the  same  be  seconded.  When  a  motion 
is  seconded  it  shall  be  stated  by  the  President  before  debate,  and  every  such  motion  shall 
be  reduced  to  writing  if  the  President  or  any  five  members  desire  it. 

8.  After  a  motion  is  stated  by  the  President  it  shall  be  deemed  to  be  in  possession  of 
the  Society,  but  may  be  withdrawn  at  any  time  before  decision  or  amendment. 

9.  When  any  question  is  under  debate  no  motion  shall  be  received,  unless  to  amend 
it  or  to  postpone  it  to  a  certain  day,  for  the  previous  question,  or  to  adjourn. 

10.  The  previous  question,  until  it  is  decided,  shall  preclude  all  amendment  and 
debate  of  the  main  question,  and  shall  be  in  this  form:  Shall  the  main  question  now 
be  put  ? 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


271 


11.  A  motion  to  adjourn  shall  be  always  in  order,  and  shall  be  decided  without 
debate. 

12.  No  member  shall  speak  more  than  once  upon  a  previous  question. 

13.  Petitions,  memorials,  and  other  papers. addressed  to  the  Society  shall  be  presented 
by  the  President,  or  by  a  member  in  his  place. 

14.  Whilst  the  President  is  putting  a  question,  no  member  shall  walk  out  of  or  across 
the  room;  nor,  when  a  member  is  speaking,  shall  any  one  entertain  private  discourse,  or 
pass  between  him  and  the  chair. 

15.  Every  bill  shall  receive  three  several  readings  previous  to  its  being  passed.  The 
second  and  third  reading  shall  be  at  different  meetings  unless  the  Society  unanimously 
direct  otherwise. 

16.  All  questions  in  the  Society  shall  be  put  in  the  order  they  were  moved,  except 
that  in  filling  up  blanks  the  largest  sum  and  longest  time  shall  be  first  put. 


APPENDIX  H, 


Chapter  XVII. — A  Law  authorizing  the  appointment  of  a  Committee  for  promoting  and  disseminating 
Literary  and  Scientific  Knowledge,  and  describing  their  duties. 

Whereas,  by  an  act  to  renew  and  amend  an  act  entitled  "An  Ac"  relative  to  the 
General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New-York,"  passed  April  3d, 
181 1,  passed  February  8th,  1833,  it  is  provided  that  the  Society  shall  set  apart  as  a 
distinct  and  separate  fund  one-third  of  the  initiation  fee  so  received,  which,  together 
with  such  donations  or  bequests  as  may  from  time  to  time  be  made  for  that  purpose, 
they  shall  appropriate  exclusively  for  promoting  and  disseminating  literary  and  scientific 
knowledge.  Therefore, 

§  1.  Be  it  ordained  by  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New- York,  That  the  money  and  effects  of  the  literary  fund  be  hereafter  known  as  the 
"Fund  for  Promoting  and  Disseminating  Literary  and  Scientific  Knowledge,"  which, 
together  with  such  amounts  as  may  in  future  be  received  for  that  purpose,  shall  be  held 
and  disposed  of  as  herein  directed. 

§  2.  That  the  President,  or,  in  his  absence,  the  presiding  officer,  shall,  at  the  meeting 
of  the  Society  held  in  February  of  each  year,  nominate,  and,  with  the  consent  of  the 


272 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


Society,  appoint  twelve  members,  to  constitute  the  committee  for  promoting  and  dissemi-  » 
nating  literary  and  scientific  knowledge,  to  serve  one  year,  or  until  others  are  appointed  in 
their  place.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  said  committee  to  take  charge  of  such  moneys  and 
effects  as  now  or  hereafter  may  belong  to  the  fund  for  promoting  and  disseminating 
literary  and  scientific  knowledge,  and  to  invest,  expend,  or  otherwise  dispose  of  the  same 
as,  in  their  opinion,  may  best  promote  the  object  for  which  it  was  intended ;  to  procure 
suitable  apparatus,  and  engage  from  time  to  time  such  persons  as  they  may  think 
advisable  to  assist  them  in  establishing  and  continuing  lectures  or  other  modes  of 
imparting  knowledge,  under  such  regulations  as  they  may  deem  expedient;  and  to  report 
quarterly  to  the  Society,  in  writing,  an  account  of  their  proceeding,  the  state  of  the 
treasury,  and  such  other  subjects  as,  in  their  opinion,  may  be  useful  or  beneficial. 


APPENDIX  I. 


AN  ACT 

To  enable  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New-York  to  extend 
the  benefits  of  their  School  and  Library.    Passed  February  7th,  1842. 

The  people  of  the  State  of  New-York,  represented  in  Senate  and  Assembly,  do  enact 
as  follows : 

1.  The  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  in  the  City  of  New-York  is 
hereby  authorized  to  receive  pay  for  instruction  in  the  school  established  by  them  from 
pupils  other  than  those  children  of  deceased  and  indigent  members  who  are  now  entitled 
to  gratuitous  instruction.  The  profits  derived  from  such  payments  shall  be  applied  to  the 
support  and  improvement  of  the  library  and  reading-room  established  by  the  Society  for 
the  use  of  apprentices  and  others. 

2.  The  Society  is  authorized  to  establish  and  hold  a  separate  fund  for  the  support  of 
the  Apprentices'  Library  and  Reading-room,  and  to  receive  and  hold  any  donation, 
devise,  or  bequest  for  the  purposes  of  such  fund,  which  shall  be  held  and  applied  by  the 
Society  as  in  trust  for  these  special  purposes,  and  not  to  be  applied  or  diverted  to  other 
objects  :  Provided,  that  said  fund  so  held  in  trust  shall  not,  at  any  time,  exceed  the  sum 
of  ten  thousand  dollars. 

3.  The  Society  may  provide,  by  proper  by-laws,  for  the  investment  and  management 
of  the  said  fund,  and  in  their  discretion  for  the  admission  of  donors  or  subscribers  other 
than  members  of  the  Society  to  a  participation  in  the  direction  and  use  of  the  library. 

4.  This  act  shall  take  effect  immediately. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


273 


APPENDIX  J, 


ADDRESS  OF  M.  M.  NOAH,  ESQ., 

Upon  the  Re-opening  of  the  Library  and  Reading-room,  September  23d,  1850. 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  Thirty  years  have  elapsed  since,  at  the  request  of  the 
Directors  of  this  Institution,  I  delivered  a  discourse  on  the  opening  of  the  Apprentices' 
Library;  and  I  now  perform  the  pleasing  duty  of  again  addressing  you  on  the  re-opening 
of  the  Institution  under  new  and  important  improvements,  thankful  to  Providence  for 
having  so  long  spared  us  to  witness  the  beneficial  results  of  an  Institution  established  for 
the  use  of  our  youths,  destined  to  learn  the  mechanical  arts  of  our  city.  Thirty  years  is 
a  long  period  in  the  history  of  our  country ;  —  how  many  millions  have  been  added  to 
our  population,  how  many  States  have  been  incorporated  in  the  Union,  how  many  vast 
improvements  have  been  made  in  Science  and  the  Arts,  and  what  rapid  strides  our  country 
has  made  to  power,  wealth,  and  greatness!  Nor  does  the  picture  end  here:  we  find,  at 
the  termination  of  thirty  years,  that  our  States  and  Territories  reach  from  the  Atlantic 
to  the  Pacific,  that  a  mighty  empire  is  springing  up  in  distant  regions,  where  but  a  few 
generations  ago  the  wild  Indians  of  the  Sandwich  Islands  and  the  cannibals  of  Feejee  roved 
in  unrestrained  freedom,  unknown  to  the  civilized  world  ;  and  on  the  spot  where  Captain 
Cook  fell,  pierced  by  their  javelins,  we  find  American  ships  riding  at  anchor,  and  the 
American  flag  floating  over  the  blue  waters  of  the  Pacific.  A  thousand  sail  of  ships  and 
a  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  citizens  are  at  this  moment  in  California,  said  to  be  the 
Ophir  of  Scripture,  and  gold  is  flowing  from  that  section  of  the  Union  b  rich  and  rapid 
currents.  Oregon,  once  the  boundary  of  the  Northwest  coast,  and  the  neighborhood  of  the 
Arctic  region,  is  a  territory  of  the  United  States.  A  railroad  is  projected  from  the  United 
States  to  the  Pacific,  and  a  ship-canal  will  soon  be  in  the  progress  of  completion,  to  unite  the 
two  great  oceans,  through  the  lake  of  Nicaragua.  Since  our  last  discourse  the  ocean  and 
rivers  have  been  covered  with  our  steamers,  and  wherever  they  go  they  carry  with  them  the 
evidence  of  our  enterprise  and  genius,  industry,  and  wealth  ;  we  compete  with  the  world  in 
the  great  variety,  beauty,  and  texture  of  our  manufactures ;  and  the  skill  and  ingenuity  of 
our  mechanics  are  the  themes  of  admiration  and  commendation  in  every  direction ;  and 
we  are  grappling  with  the  venerable  experience  and  mighty  power  of  mother  England,  to 
arrive  at  the  same  perfection  in  the  mechanical  arts  which  she  has  achieved,  and  we  have 
succeeded  in  accomplishing  in  a  few  years  what  she  has  required  centuries  to  perform. 

How  are  we  to  account  for  the  rapid  progress  of  our  country  in  arts,  civilization, 
literature,  commerce,  and  science  ?    By  our  free  institutions,  by  the  equality  of  our  laws, 


274 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


by  the  adaptation  of  a  self-government  to  the  wants  and  wishes  of  the  community,  by  the 
progress  of  freedom,  by  the  acknowledgments  of  the  rights  of  man,  and  above  all,  by  that 
free  education  which  visits  all  alike,  from  the  cottage  to  the  palace,  and  places  mankind  on 
an  equality  in  all  that  relates  to  genius  and  intellect.  Here  is  the  great  secret  of  our 
success ;  we  have  no  titled  ranks,  no  hereditary  power,  no  labor  by  the  many  to  supply  the 
wants  of  the  few ;  each  man  is  for  himself,  and  the  energy  of  each  combined  constitutes 
the  wealth  and  power,  the  genius,  resources,  and  permanency  of  the  republic.  Who  would 
lightly  part  with  this  heritage  of  freedom  ?  What  American  would  be  willing  to  exchange 
his  rights  as  a  citizen  of  the  New  World  for  all  that  the  Old  World  can  offer  in  exchange  ? 
Our  path  is  onward — is  rapidly  progressive;  and  while  we  are  true  to  our  faith  as  a 
nation  and  our  integrity  as  a  people — while  industry,  intelligence,  temperance,  and  virtue 
are  our  guides — nothing  can  impede  our  march  to  greatness  and  power,  nothing  can 
prevent  our  becoming  the  first  nation  on  the  habitable  globe. 

Our  city,  too,  the  Empire  City  of  the  Empire  State — the  commercial  emporium  of  the 
nation — has  undergone  many  great  changes  within  thirty  years — many  within  your  recol- 
lection. From  thirty-five  thousand  inhabitants,  which  was  the  population  of  our  city  at 
the  period  when  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  was  first  incorporated 
— say  the  14th  of  March,  1792, —  we  have  increased  nearly  to  half  a  million;  when  the 
boundaries  of  our  city  at  that  time  scarcely  extended  beyond  Chambers  street,  we  have 
marched  steadily  onward,  making  Greenwich  village  part  of  our  city,  and  carrying  our 
improvements  almost  within  reach  of  the  ancient  Dutch  village  of  Harlem.  Brooklyn, 
then  a  small  village,  is  now  a  splendid  city,  spreading  its  broad  arms  toward  the  Narrows 
to  the  south,  and  extending  on  the  north  through  Williamsburg,  a  prosperous  town,  and 
almost  connecting  by  its  links  Newtown  and  Flushing.  The  face  of  everything  has 
changed  in  our  city.  The  old  Dutch  houses,  built  of  brick  imported  by  our  ancestors  from 
Amsterdam,  have  all  vanished,  and  stately  houses,  splendid  stores,  and  ponderous  ware- 
houses have  sprung  up  in  their  place.  Spacious  hotels,  magnificent  private  houses,  great 
public  institutions,  ships  of  immense  tonnage,  steam  foundries,  river-boats,  and  everything 
denoting  a  wealthy,  prosperous,  and  enterprising  people,  have  swelled  the  rank  and 
importance  of  our  metropolis,  giving  employment,  comfort,  and  wealth  to  thousands. 

To  whom  do  we  owe  these  great  and  important  improvements  ?  What  has  led  to 
this  rapid  and  prosperous  current,  which  is  carrying  us  ahead  of  all  our  sister  States  and 
cities  ?  Our  commerce  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  enterprise  and  laborious  industry  of  our 
mechanics  on  the  other.  Shall  we  not  do  something  for  the  sons  of  these  mechanics  who 
are  nobly  treading  in  the  footsteps  of  their  fathers  ?  The  time  has  arrived  when  it  has 
become  apparent  that  the  destinies  of  our  country  are  finally  to  be  placed  under  the 
control  of  the  mechanics  and  laboring  men  of  the  Union.  The  liberal  professions,  so-called, 
by  which  is  meant  law,  physic,  and  theology,  are  crowded  beyond  the  wants  of  the  com- 
munity, and  the  supply  exceeds  the  demand.  The  sons  of  wealthy  men  will  find  it 
necessary,  as  the  sons  of  the  needy,  to  learn  some  branch  of  the  mechanic  arts,  to  place 
themselves  within  the  sphere  of  their  influence,  and  to  give  to  that  interest  the  confidence 
to  which  it  is  entitled.  Well-educated  mechanics  will  fill  our  legislatures  and  the  halls 
of  Congress ;  their  numerical  strength  will  accumulate  until  they  are  able  to  command  the 
highest  stations  in  the  Government.    When  that  period  arrives,  as  it  surely  will,  in  what 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


275 


are  we  to  confide — in  what  will  be  our  guarantee  for  the  safety  of  the  country  ?  I  answer, 
in  the  education  and  intelligence  of  this  class  of  our  citizens. 

The  President  of  the  United  States  was  a  mechanic — an  apprentice  boy,  as  many  of  our 
hearers  have  been ;  true,  in  after-life  he  studied  law,  and  was  a  successful  practitioner,  but 
he  carried  into  that  study,  and  into  that  practice,  and  into  that  high  station  which  he  now 
adorns,  the  elements  of  patient  industry,  hard  study,  economical  habits,  and  persevering 
labor,  acquired  when  he  was  an  apprentice.  Should  not  this  important  fact  stimulate  us  to 
aid  the  apprentice  in  educating  himself,  in  strengthening  his  mind,  and  enlarging  his 
sphere  of  usefulness ;  that,  though  he  may  enter  upon  the  great  theater  of  an  active  life 
with  hands  which  may  be  hard  by  labor,  his  head  may  be  clear,  his  purposes  honest,  and 
his  heart  in  the  right  place. 

It  is  our  duty,  therefore,  to  place  this  Mechanics'  Society  and  this  Apprentices' 
Library  among  the  great  and  benevolent  institutions  of  our  city,  and  give  to  it  that  high 
rank  which  it  truly  merits.  To  the  poor  we  give  food  and  raiment ;  to  the  widow  a  home ; 
to  the  blind  and  insane  an  asylum ;  but  to  the  apprentice  we  give  the  means  of  education, 
the  light  of  intellect,  the  power  to  govern  himself  and  to  govern  others.  We  place  him  at 
the  base  of  the  pedestal,  from  which,  step  by  step,  he  may  advance  to  the  highest  honors 
which  our  country  offers.  We  owe  it  to  the  apprentice,  we  owe  it  to  ourselves,  and  to  our 
safety.  A  little  reflection  on  our  condition  in  life  will  show  us  the  necessity  of  using  every 
effort  to  strengthen  and  improve  our  minds.  Man  comes  into  the  world  much  more 
helpless,  and  continues  in  that  state  much  longer,  than  any  other  animal ;  without  the 
care  of  parents  he  would  perish ;  without  the  aid  of  their  experience  and  instruction  he 
must  be  deplorably  ignorant.  He  is  so  framed  as  to  be  compelled  to  follow  reason  as  his 
guide ;  whereas  all  other  animals  have  a  guide  in  their  constitution  and  in  their  instinct. 
Let  us  philosophize  on  this  for  a  few  moments. 

No  animal  but  man  wants  clothing ;  nature  has  provided  in  this  respect  for  the  brute 
creation ;  man  must  furnish  this  indispensable  necessity  for  himself.  No  animal  but  man 
requires  preparation  for  his  food ;  his  grain  must  be  ground,  his  bread  baked,  and  his  meat 
cooked,  and  he  must  find  salt  as  an  important  preservative.  No  climate  yields  spontane- 
ously sufficient  food  for  men,  yet  every  climate  can  supply  the  wants  >f  other  animals. 
Instinct  only  carries  the  brute  creation  to  what  may  be  required ;  instinct  carries  men  as 
far,  and  vanity  carries  them  farther.  The  swallow  builds  its  nest  with  mortar,  and  the  crow 
with  sticks ;  man  first  erects  a  hut,  then  a  palace.  Man,  from  his  reason,  is  enabled  to  do 
more  than  other  animals ;  he  can  raise  plants  and  gather  fruits  and  seeds ;  he  can  convert 
these  fruits  and  seeds  into  bread  and  wine ;  he  can  manufacture  silk,  wool,  and  flax ;  he 
can  smelt  minerals  and  produce  metals ;  he  can  do  many  things  for  his  comfort  and  con- 
venience by  the  use  of  his  reason  ;  and  without  cultivating  his  mind,  reason  will  run  wild. 
Reason,  therefore,  is  the  highest  gift  which  Providence  has  bestowed  upon  man.  It  is 
given  to  him  in  place  of  instinct,  to  lead  him  to  the  chief  felicity  which  nature  is  capable 
of  enjoying.  The  desire,  therefore,  of  knowledge  is  a  divine  impulse,  and  we  must  assist 
each  other  to  acquire  it  by  all  the  means  in  our  power. 

A  library,  judiciously  selected,  is  the  Garden  of  Eden,  in  which  is  planted  the  tree  of 
useful  knowledge,  the  fruit  of  which  is  life,  not  death.  We  have  that  library  here;  we  planted 
that  little  branch,  which  has  grown  into  a  goodly  tree,  fair  to  the  eye,  and  we  must  water 


276 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


it  by  our  liberality,  until  it  bears  golden  fruit  pleasant  to  the  taste.  This  is  peculiarly  a 
benevolent  institution.  If  a  poor,  little  ragged  apprentice  boy  feels  disposed  to  drink 
deep  at  the  Pierian  Spring,  where  is  he  to  go  to  slake  his  thirst  ?  He  can  have  access  to 
no  private  library ;  if  he  enters  the  Society  Library,  which  is  a  noble  institution,  he  will 
be  told  that  none  but  subscribers  have  liberty  to  read,  or  to  take  home  books  to  read. 
If  he  wanders  into  the  valuable  library,  established  through  the  munificence  of  the  late 
Mr.  Astor,  he  will  be  told  that  there  is  no  provision  in  the  bequest  which  can  embrace  his 
case ;  he  looks  around  with  a  sigh,  and  beholds  splendidly  bound  books,  many  of  which 
may  never  be  opened ;  gilded  lattices  and  cushioned  seats ;  he  sees  the  rich  and  well 
educated  enjoying  the  intellectual  banquet ;  but,  alas  !  he  who  is  in  the  search  of  knowl- 
edge is  not  an  invited  guest.  He  has  only  the  inheritance  of  rags ;  his  mind  is  clear,  his 
intellect  bright,  his  desire  to  learn  and  improve  is  intense,  but  his  hands  are  black  from 
labor,  and  his  dress  coarse  from  poverty. 

There  is  still,  however,  balm  in  Gilead  for  the  poor  apprentice  boy ;  he  has  not  been 
forgotten  ;  there  are  hearts  which  have  felt  for  his  forlorn  position,  and  hands  which  have 
been  stretched  forth  for  his  relief.  He  can  enter  here  as  proudly  as  those  who  enter 
other  libraries ;  there  is  no  rude  janitor  who  will  thrust  him  forth  to  live  and  die  in 
ignorance;  here  he  is  a  welcome  guest,  his  presence  is  desired,  he  takes  his  seat  and  enjoys 
the  rich  repast  spread  before  him.  Here  are  voyages  and  travels,  books  of  fiction,  wit  and 
humor,  always  the  first  to  whet  the  appetite  for  reading ;  then  the  rich  stores  of  history  are 
open  to  him,  beginning  always  with  the  history  of  his  own  country.  He  reads  what 
Rome  and  Greece  were  in  their  palmy  days.  He  is  familiar  with  events  in  England, 
from  the  time  of  William  the  Gonqueror ;  he  knows  all  about  France  and  Spain,  from  the 
time  of  the  Goths  and  Vandals ;  he  is  familiar  with  the  history  of  the  world.  On  this 
foundation  he  builds  his  superstructure ;  he  slides  insensibly  into  a  course  of  bcllts-lcttres 
and  polite  literature ;  he  becomes  familiar  with  the  fine  arts ;  he  studies  mathematics,  the 
greatest  of  all  studies  to  make  man  acquainted  w  ith  himself,  and  to  deduce  effects  from 
causes;  he  studies  architecture,  machinery,  and  the  practical  details  of  all  mechanical 
pursuits ;  he  is  acquainted  w  ith  the  institutions  of  his  country,  and  his  own  rights  as  a 
freeman  ;  and  when  he  is  out  of  his  time,  he  steps  forw  ard  as  accomplished  a  gentleman 
as  many  who  have  taken  their  degrees  at  Oxford  and  at  Eton  ;  and  if  his  country  or  his 
State  require  his  services  in  public  stations,  he  can  take  his  seat  in  the  Assembly,  in 
Congress,  or  in  the  Cabinet,  with  all  good,  sound,  common  sense — more  available  to 
that  service  than  the  attainments  of  the  bar,  the  pulpit,  or  the  materia  medica. 

This,  gentlemen,  is  the  work  of  the  founders  of  the  Apprentices'  Library;  it  has  already 
sent  forth  its  able  men,  and  will  continue  to  qualify  others  for  the  important  part  which 
they  have  to  sustain  through  life.  But  more  aid  is  wanted  ;  there  are  more  shelves  to  fill ; 
all  the  new  publications  of  the  age — an  age  w  onderful  for  its  improvements  —  should  be 
procured  for  this  library,  if  means  can  be  found  to  accomplish  an  end  so  desirable.  Let 
us  see  what  has  been  already  accomplished  by  those  who  have  preceded  us,  and  we  may 
from  the  past  be  able  to  calculate  the  prospects  for  the  future. 

For  thirty-five  years,  that  is  to  say,  from  the  year  1785  to  1820,  the  operations  of  the 
Mechanics'  Society  were  confined  chiefly  to  benevolent  objects,  the  relief  of  its  indigent 
members,  their  widows  and  orphans;  and  in  1820  the  school  and  library  were  established. 


MECHANICS     AND     TRADESMEN.  277 

The  object  of  the  school  was  to  relieve  the  less  fortunate  mechanics  fram  what  they  deemed 
the  humiliation  of  sending  their  children  to  a  charity  school,  by  having  them  educated  in 
the  same  school  with  pay  scholars,  the  knowledge  of  pay  and  free  scholars  being  confined 
to  the  members  of  the  School  Committee.  This  practice,  delicate  and  proper  in  itself,  is 
still  maintained.  The  school  improved  rapidly,  and  is  now,  I  am  pleased  to  state,  in  a 
flourishing  condition,  and  ranks  as  high  as  any  in  the  city.  It  has  been  sustained  at 
considerable  cost  to  the  Society,  receiving  from  the  public  only  the  usual  allowance  for  the 
numbers  of  free  scholars  taught,  and  has  about  five  hundred  scholars,  and  about  twenty 
teachers,  each  department,  male  and  female,  arranged  into  seven  classes,  taught  in  separate 
class-rooms.  The  library  was  established  at  the  same  time,  receiving  small  contributions 
of  books  and  money  from  our  fellow-citizens,  and  was  opened  at  the  time  I  have  before 
stated,  in  the  old  Free  School  building,  at  the  corner  of  Chatham  street  and  Tryon  Row. 
The  new  building  in  Chambers  street  was  erected  in  the  following  year.  In  1832  the 
Society  was  enabled  to  purchase  the  high  school  building  in  Crosby  street,  to  accomplish 
which  some  aid  was  received,  say  five  thousand  dollars,  chiefly  from  our  own  members ; 
and  that,  with  about  one  thousand  dollars  received  from  the  late  Mechanic  and  Scientific 
Institution,  and  six  hundred  dollars  from  private  donations,  is  all  that  was  received  in 
aid  of  the  important  improvements.  In  1845  the  lot  on  Broadway  was  purchased, 
and  an  entrance  made  for  the  accommodation  of  the  young  ladies,  and  also  to  the 
lecture-room. 

The  income  of  the  Society  not  being  sufficient  to  sustain  the  heavy  expenditure  for 
the  school  and  library,  together  with  the  pensions  for  the  widows  and  orphans,  it  has  been 
deemed  expedient  to  rent  the  lecture-room,  since  the  entrance  from  Broadway  has  been 
opened ;  and  now,  from  this  source,  and  the  liberal  bequests  from  the  family  of  the  late 
Mr.  Demilt,  the  Society  has  been  enabled  to  complete  the  necessary  alterations,  by 
removing  the  library  to  another  part  of  the  hall,  also,  with  a  pleasant  access  to  Broadway, 
both  to  the  library  and  reading-room.  The  cost  of  supporting  the  library  presses  heavily 
on  the  Society,  and  the  wear  of  books  is  much  greater  than  in  other  libraries,  as  one 
thousand  eight  hundred  persons  read  on  an  average  thirty  volumes  annually ;  that  is  to 
say,  that  fourteen  thousand  volumes  would  be  loaned  nearly  four  times  a  year.  Esti- 
mating rent  of  rooms,  and  other  outlays  for  thirty  years,  the  sum  total  expended  by  the 
Society  would  exceed  fifty  thousand  dollars. 

The  substantial  benefits  conferred  by  this  library  on  mechanics  are  generally  admitted. 
Some  of  our  most  active,  intelligent,  and  wealthy  citizens  owe  much  of  their  early 
improvement  directly  to  this  library.  It  is,  as  I  have  said,  the  only  institution  accessible 
to  this  class  of  readers.  Looking,  therefore,  to  the  great  increase  of  the  apprentices  and 
mechanics  of  this  city,  and  the  prospective  increase  of  the  city  itself,  this  Society  should 
possess  the  means  of  establishing  a  branch  of  the  library  on  each  side  of  the  city,  so  as 
to  be  accessible  to  the  workshops  which  are  springing  up  in  every  direction  for  miles 
on  the  borders  of  our  rivers.  To  accomplish  this  most  important  movement,  application 
should  be  made  to  the  Legislature  of  the  State  for  that  aid  which  has  been  for  so  many 
years  liberally  offered  to  our  literary  institutions.  The  munificent  donations  to  our  colleges 
and  schools  amount  to  a  sum  honorable  to  the  State  and  to  the  great  cause  of  educa- 
tion.   Some  of  our  collegiate  institutions  have  received  upward  of  one  hundred  thousand 


278 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


dollars  from  the  State,  and  all  more  or  less  have  participated  in  its  bounty.  We  do  not 
complain  of  this  liberality,  when  our  colleges  send  forth  educated  gentlemen  of  family  and 
fortune,  but  we  want  something  to  be  done  for  the  poor  children  of  this  city — of  that  city 
into  which  all  the  trade  and  commerce  of  the  State  is  received,  sold,  and  the  net  pro- 
ceeds returned  to  every  town  and  village  of  the  State. 

We  shall  be  told  that  our  noble  free  schools  will  accomplish  this  desirable  result, 
but  they  do  not ;  part  of  their  great  work  is  left  undone.  A  boy  is  apprenticed  at  thirteen 
or  fourteen  years  of  age ;  there  ends  his  education,  his  time  belongs  to  his  employer,  and 
from  that  moment  he  must  commence  to  educate  himself,  by  employing  his  leisure  time 
in  improving  his  mind  in  reading  the  best  authors,  in  acquiring  knowledge  of  the  world, 
its  literature,  arts,  and  improvements.  That  can  only  be  accomplished  in  the  Apprentices' 
Library.  Surely  such  an  institution  is  worthy  the  patronage  of  our  State,  and  I  feel 
confident  will  receive  it  annually  if  application  is  properly  made,  and  the  Legislature 
becomes  familiar  with  all  the  benefits  of  this  institution.  Our  free  schools  afford  the 
elements  of  an  education  ;  in  them  the  rough  iron  is  shaped  and  beaten  out,  here  it  is 
polished  and  finished.  The  great  mass  of  the  American  people  can  do  but  two  things  for 
their  children  —  give  them  an  education  and  give  them  a  trade.  With  these  two  great 
gifts  they  may  send  them  out  on  the  great  ocean  of  the  world;  they  are  their  sails  and 
rudder.  A  father  may  give  a  fortune  to  his  son,  and  he  may  soon  waste  it  all ;  but  he 
never  can  lose  that  fortune  which  the  labor  of  his  hands  acquires.  A  fortune  may  be  soon 
expended  in  folly,  extravagance,  and  vice,  but  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  mechanical 
arts  cannot  be  lost  or  wasted;  it  is  centered  in  the  head  and  the  hands,  and  cannot  be  lost 
or  traded  away ;  it  is  a  sure  investment  for  the  industrious  and  the  temperate  against 
idleness  and  want. 

I  have  long  urged  wealthy  parents  to  throw  aside  false  pride,  and  make  their  sons 
mechanics  instead  of  lawyers,  physicians,  and  divines  ;  the  bar  is  crowded  and  unprofitable, 
medicine  is  also  overstocked  with  practitioners,  and  the  pulpit  has  many  laborious  and 
poorly  paid  pastors.  If  we  improve  hereafter  as  rapidly  as  we  heretofore  have  done,  these 
professions  and  pursuits  will  be  simplified,  and  we  shall  find  that  every  man  can  be  his  own 
lawyer,  his  own  doctor,  and,  in  his  own  domestic  circle,  with  that  great  and  good  book,  the 
Bible,  he  can  become  his,  in  part,  own  preacher ;  but  a  knowledge  of  the  mechanical  arts, 
steadily  and  industriously  carried  out,  must  in  this  great  and  increasing  country  be  forever 
the  source  of  profit  and  the  true  road  to  independence.  This  library,  therefore,  is  the 
great  platform  on  which  a  high  moral  and  intellectual  character  may  be  formed.  When 
the  labor  of  the  day  is  over,  instead  of  the  apprentice  scouring  the  streets,  visiting  bar- 
rooms or  theaters,  mingling  with  idle,  vicious  companions,  he  takes  his  seat  in  this  library, 
with  a  rich  intellectual  repast  before  him,  or,  being  privileged  to  take  a  book  home  with 
him,  he  trims  his  lamp  and  reads  aloud  to  his  little  brothers  and  sisters,  scattering  the  good 
seeds  among  them,  to  take  root  hereafter.  To-night  he  invites  himself  to  pass  the  evening 
with  the  elegant  Addison,  to-morrow  night  he  spends  with  Goldsmith,  or  Doctor  Johnson,  or 
Smollett,  or  Gibbon,  the  society  of  eminent  and  illustrious  men,  whom  it  is  his  pride  to  know 
from  the  rich  emanations  of  their  genius.  If  he  wishes  to  travel,  he  sets  out  with  Anson 
and  Captain  Cook,  and  makes  a  voyage  around  the  world ;  if  he  is  fond  of  antiquities,  he 
visits  with  Denne,  Shaw,  Pocock,  and  others,  the  magnificent  ruins  of  Thebes  and  Mem- 


MECHANICS     AND     TRADESMEN.  279 

phis,  the  Pyramids  of"  Egypt,  and  the  cities  of  Pharaoh — he  crosses  the  Red  Sea,  over 
which  the  Israelites  passed,  and  he  gazes  in  imagination  on  Mount  Sinai,  where  the  great 
and  divine  law  was  given  to  the  world,  which  even  at  this  day  is  our  guide  to  happiness. 
If  his  spirits  flag,  he  enlivens  them  with  the  .rich  wit  of  Don  Quixote,  or  the  humors  of 
Gil  Bias ;  if  he  would  like  to  dip  a  little  in  fiction,  he  takes  up  that  delightful  Robinson 
Crusoe ;  or  if  he  desires  to  wander  in  oriental  climes,  he  peruses  that  charming  compilation, 
the  Arabian  Nights,  and  walks  through  Grand  Cairo  with  Haroun  al  Raschid.  In  severe 
and  serious  studies  he  learns  from  practical  chemists  how  to  mix  colors ;  he  pores  over 
Watt  and  Lardner  to  ascertain  the  formation  and  working  of  the  steam-engine ;  and  if  he 
wishes  to  know  how  the  liberties  of  his  own  country  have  been  acquired,  he  reads  of 
the  battles  of  Lexington,  Bunker  Hill,  and  Saratoga. 

You  have,  gentlemen,  by  your  liberality,  your  benevolence,  your  good  feeling,  taken 
the  poor,  probably  the  ragged  apprentice,  by  the  hand,  and,  through  the  medium  of  the 
library  which  you  have  established,  have  introduced  him  to  the  familiar  acquaintance  of 
the  great  men  who  have  adorned  the  world  and  the  age  in  which  they  lived,  by  their  genius 
and  talent.  The  apprentice  thus  employed  at  night,  reads  until  sleep  places  its  leaden 
fingers  on  his  eyelids,  he  sinks  into  a  calm,  refreshing  slumber,  and  awakens  at  the  dawn 
of  day  refreshed  and  invigorated,  with  his  head  clear,  his  mind  calm  and  ready  for  the 
day's  occupation.  "Just  as  the  twig  is  bent  the  tree  inclines."  We  lead  011  the  boy  by 
degrees  until  reading  and  study  become  a  passion  with  him,  and  when  in  later  times,  as 
he  advances  to  character  and  fortune,  he  looks  back  to  the  days  of  his  apprenticeship 
and  his  nights  of  study  with  pride  and  satisfaction,  he  honors  to  the  last  hour  of  his 
existence  the  benevolent  founders  of  this  institution.  Persevere,  then,  gentlemen,  in  the 
good  work  which  you  have  commenced  and  have  so  long  cherished ;  and  when  you  have 
something  to  bequeath,  when  the  sands  of  life  have  run  out,  remember  in  your  wills  this 
excellent,  valued  institution,  and  have  your  names  recorded  among  its  best  of  benefactors. 


APPENDIX  K. 


SOME  MEMORIALS  OF  THE  LATE  WILLIAM  WOOD,  ESQ. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of 
New-York,  held  on  the  2d  of  September,  1857^  the  Secretary  called  the  attention  of  the 
Society  to  the  accounts  in  the  newspapers  of  the  decease  of  William  Wood,  Esq.,  of 
Canandaigua,  a  well-known  and  greatly  esteemed  citizen,  who  was  the  founder  of  the  first 


28o 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


Apprentices'  Library  in  the  world,  and  who  had  taken  an  active  and  efficient  part  in  the 
establishment  of  the  Apprentices'  Library  of  this  city.  Mr.  Wood  was  not  a  member  of 
our  Society,  but,  from  the  circumstance  above  mentioned,  the  Secretary  thought  the 
Society  might  desire  to  place  in  their  minutes  some  expressions  of  their  respect  for  his 
memory.  A  series  of  resolutions  we're  moved  by  Brother  Joseph  P.  Simpson,  which,  after 
some  discussion,  were  referred  to  the  Library  Committee.    The  following  is  their 

REPORT. 

The  Library  Committee,  having  had  under  consideration  certain  resolutions  ex- 
pressive of  the  respect  of  the  Society  for  the  late  William  Wood,  Esq.,  of  Canandaigua, 
moved  by  Brother  Joseph  P.  Simpson,  at  a  meeting  held  on  the  2d  of  September  last,  and 
referred  to  them,  would  respectfully  report : 

That,  so  far  as  your  committee  could  judge  from  remarks  made  by  several  of  the 
brothers  at  the  time  the  resolutions  were  under  consideration,  there  appeared  to  be  a 
general  feeling  among  the  members  that  some  expression  of  thankfulness  was  eminently 
due  and  proper  for  the  services  rendered  by  Mr.  Wood  in  the  establishment  of  the 
Apprentices'  Library,  as  well  as  on  several  subsequent  occasions;  and  also  of  respect  for 
his  memory  as  a  philanthropist,  whose  labors  have  been  greatly  beneficial  to  the  com- 
munity. But  there  were  doubts  in  the  minds  of  several  of  the  brothers,  whether  the 
resolutions  did  not  attribute  to  him  credit  for  originating  our  library  that  more  properly 
was  due  to  others,  and  particularly  to  deceased  members  of  our  Society.  Such  being  the 
case,  your  committee  have  thought  that  the  duty  committed  to  them  would  be  best 
performed  by  ascertaining  as  far  as  possible,  and  reporting,  the  facts  and  circumstances 
connected  with  the  inception  and  establishment  of  the  library.  These  having  taken  place 
many  years  ago,  the  particulars  were  not  within  the  personal  recollection  of  any  of  the 
present  members  of  the  committee,  and  consequently  some  delay  has  occurred  in  searching 
them  out. 

They  now,  however,  beg  leave  to  submit  the  following : 

They  find,  in  the  minutes  of  a  meeting  of  the  Society,  held  on  the  17th  of  March, 
1 81 9,  the  following : 

"Ordered,  that  Thomas  R.  Mercein,  Francis  Cooper,  and  John  Slidell  be,  and  they 
are  hereby  appointed  to  inquire  whether  any,  and  if  any,  what  arrangements  can  be  made 
for  the  education  of  children  of  indigent  members." 

During  all  the  remainder  of  the  year  1819,  there  was  not  a  quorum  of  members 
present  at  any  time  of  meeting  of  the  Society,  and  consequently  no  business  was 
transacted  until  the  meeting  of  January  nth,  1820,  and  the  committee  did  not  report  until 
the  meeting  of  March  1st,  1820.  Very  few  of  the  papers  and  documents  of  the  Society  of 
a  date  prior  to  the  year  1822  have  been  preserved,  but  fortunately  this  report  is  among  the 
number.  It  is  without  date,  but  from  other  parts  of  the  minutes  of  that  meeting  it  was 
unquestionably  then  submitted.  It  contains  the  first  mention  of  the  Apprentices'  Library 
to  be  found  on  our  records.  After  strongly  recommending  the  establishment  of  a  school, 
it  proceeds  as  follows : 


MECHANICS      AND  TRADESMEN 


28l 


"  Intimately  connected  with  the  plan  for  the  education  of  the  children,  as  above  sug- 
gested, is  another,  from  which,  if  properly  conducted,  results  equally  beneficial  will  doubt- 
lessly follow ;  to  wit,  the  establishment  of  a  library  for  the  use  of  the  apprentices  of  mechanics 
generally.  Your  committee  were  not  specially  required  by  the  resolution  that  occasioned 
this  report  to  offer  any  suggestions  on  this  subject ;  but,  relying  on  the  indulgence  of  their 
brothers,  and  convinced  of  the  importance  of  the  measure,  they  beg  leave  to  offer  those 
considerations  which  have  presented  themselves  with  irresistible  force  to  their  minds. 

"  It  is  estimated  that  of  the  whole  male  population  of  this  city  at  least  six  thousand 
are  mechanics,  most  of  whom  have  from  one  to  four  apprentices,  who  are  generally  the 
children  of  those  parents  whose  situation  in  life  have  rendered  them  unable  (however 
willing)  to  afford  that  education  and  instruction  required  to  render  them  useful  and 
efficient  members  of  society  ;  hence  -every  means  that  can  be  devised  to  further  the 
improvement  and  advance  the  knowledge  of  such  ought  eagerly  to  be  seized,  in  order  to 
remedy,  as  far  as  practicable,  the  privation  suffered  in  their  early  years,  and  which,  in  the 
opinion  of  your  committee,  cannot  be  more  effectually  promoted  than  by  affording  to  all 
who  are  desirous  of  improving  themselves  the  means  by  which  to  attain  that  object ;  to 
wit,  the  gratuitous  reading  of  elementary,  moral,  religious,  and  miscellaneous  books,  and 
such  others  as  may  have  a  tendency  to  promote  them  in  their  several  avocations. 

"  It  might  well  be  considered  an  act  of  supererogation  were  your  committee  to 
attempt  to  show  the  advantages  resulting  from  the  general  diffusion  of  knowledge  among 
so  numerous  and  important  a  portion  of  their  fellow-citizens  as  the  mechanics  of  this 
city,  as  there  are,  doubtless,  but  few  who  hear  this  report  who  have  not  frequently,  too 
frequently,  experienced  the  want  of  information  on  many  points  connected  even  with  their 
ordinary  avocations,  without  reference  to  the  high  intellectual  gratification  enjoyed  by 
those  who  have  had  greater  advantages. 

"  The  liberality  which  distinguishes  the  citizens  of  New- York  is  a  sure  guarantee  that 
an  appeal  to  them,  in  behalf  of  this  library,  would  result  in  the  donation  of  all  the  books 
that  would  be  required,  except,  perhaps,  a  few  in  the  higher  branches  of  architecture  and 
mathematics,  and  which  could  only  be  obtained  by  importation  from  England. 

"  In  the  event  of  establishing  a  school,  the  same  rooms  could  contaiu  the  library  (as 
the  books  would  be,  of  course,  locked  up  in  cases),  and  the  teacher  might  devote  one  or 
two  evenings  in  a  week  for  the  delivery  and  reception  of  books — which  would  save  the 
expense  of  a  librarian,  and  thus  all  the  great  advantages  above  adverted  to  might  be 
afforded  at  a  very  inconsiderable  expense. 

"  Connected  with  these  plans,  a  school  for  the  accommodation  of  apprentices  during 
three  or  four  months  in  the  winter  might  also  be  established,  and  conducted  in  a  manner 
far  better  calculated  to  advance  them  in  their  education  than  the  practice  now  in  common 
use.  As  it  would  not  be  necessary  to  mature  a  plan  for  this  purpose  before  next  winter, 
and  as  the  committee  have  already  trespassed  on  the  patience  of  the  Society,  we  defer  all 
further  details  on  this  subject  to  some  future  occasion. 

"  All  of  which  is  respectfully  submitted.  Thomas  R.  Mercein, 

Francis  Cooper, 
John  Slidell." 


282 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


The  committee  also  submitted  some  resolutions,  the  last  two  of  which  are  as  follows  : 

"Resolved,  That  a  Library  Committee,  consisting  of  Thomas  R.  Mercein,  Francis 
Cooper,  John  Slidell,  Anthony  Steinback,  John  J.  Labagh,  Elbert  Anderson,  Abraham 
Van  Nest,  Jacob  Lorillard,  and  Abraham  Bloodgood,  be  and  are  hereby  appointed  to 
take  all  requisite  measures  to  establish  a  library  for  the  use  of  the  apprentices  of  the 
mechanics  of  this  city,  on  the  plan  suggested  in  the  report  just  read ;  and  that  said 
committee  be  authorized  to  publish  an  appropriate  address  to  the  inhabitants  of  this 
city,  stating  their  object,  and  soliciting  the  donation  of  books,  in  order  to  carry  the 
same  into  effect. 

"  Resolved,  That  a  committee,  consisting  of  Thomas  R.  Mercein,  Francis  Cooper, 
John  Slidell,  Anthony  Steinback,  Elbert  Anderson,  Abraham  Van  Nest,  Jacob  Lorillard, 
and  Abraham  Bloodgood,  be  and  are  hereby  appointed  to  digest  and  report  a  plan  for 
tuition  (during  the  winter  evenings)  of  the  apprentices  of  mechanics  who  are,  or  may  be, 
members  of  this  institution  specially,  and  also  to  report  on  the  expediency  and  feasibility 
of  extending  the  plan  so  as  to  embrace  the  apprentices  of  mechanics  generally." 

The  resolutions  were  adopted,  but  the  report  was  referred  back  to  the  committee,  and 
again  presented  at  a  meeting  of  April  6th,  1820,  when  full  authority  was  given  them  to 
establish  both  a  school  and  library. 

Your  committee  also  find,  among  the  papers  of  the  Library  Committee,  the  following 
letter,  addressed  by  Brother  Thomas  R.  Mercein  to  Mr.  Wood.  It  appears  to  have  been 
sent  by  Mr.  Wood  to  the  committee  of  1820,  and  has  been  copied  on  their  minutes : 

New-York,  4th  March,  1820. 
Sir  :  Although  1  have  not  the  honor  of  a  personal  acquaintance  with  you,  I  am 
emboldened  to  address  some  inquiries  to  you  in  relation  to  the  establishment  of  the  library 
for  apprentices,  lately  established  in  Boston ;  because  I  am  persuaded  that  the  same 
enlarged  and  liberal  views  that  induced  you  to  take  a  leading  part  in  the  Boston  institu- 
tion will  prompt  you  to  afford  the  benefit  of  your  advice  toward  a  similar  one  in  this  city. 
The  Mechanics'  Society  of  this  city  (a  wealthy  and  respectable  institution)  have  taken  the 
thing  up  very  spiritedly,  and  have  appointed  a  committee  (of  which  I  am  chairman)  to 
digest  and  report  a  plan  for  carrying  the  project  into  immediate  effect.  Hence  our 
committee  are  very  anxious  to  obtain  all  and  every  information  in  their  power ;  and,  from 
a  conversation  I  had  with  Mr.  Lang,  I  am  persuaded  that  I  could  not  make  a  more 
suitable  application  than  to  Mr.  Wood.  Perhaps  it  would  be  more  advisable,  instead  of 
making  any  inquiries  of  you,  to  beg  that  you  will,  in  your  own  way,  give  us  all  the 
information  of  which  you  are  possessed  as  to  a  proper  constitution  for  the  library,  and 
indeed  all  the  details,  if  your  convenience  will  permit.  A  copy  of  any  printed  documents, 
blanks,  &c,  &c,  which  you  may  have  executed,  will  be  very  acceptable,  and  may  be  sent 
by  mail.  We  should  be  glad  to  avail  ourselves  of  your  experience  in  this  matter,  and  if 
you  see  anything  in  the  plan  you  have  so  lately  organized,  please  mention  it.  In  a  word, 
we  wish  to  act  promptly  but  efficiently,  and  hence  are  desirous  to  obtain  all  possible 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


283 


informatiom  connected  with  a  subject  which  we  are  persuaded  will,  if  properly  managed, 
result  in  effecting  as  great  an  amount  of  good  as  any  institution  ever  instituted  in  this  city. 

Yours  very  respectfully, 

Thomas  R.  Mercein. 

From  an  indorsement  on  the  back  of  this  letter,  in  the  handwriting  of  Mr.  Wood,  it 
appears  that  it  was  answered  on  the  8th  of  March,  1820,  and  on  the  fly-leaf  is  the  follow- 
ing memorandum,  also  by  his  hand: 

"Memo. —  After  receiving  this  letter,  went  to  New-York  to  assist  the  work  of 
effecting  a  mechanics'  apprentices'  library ;  gave  three  or  four  months  to  the  object ; 
induced  all  persons  I  knew  (was  introduced  to  many)  also  to  give  either  old  or  new 
books ;  wrote  in  many  papers  in  favor  of  the  scheme,  and  deposited  the  same  at  Kirk  & 
Mercein's  bookstore,  Wall  St.;  received  from  Thomas  R.  Mercein  one  thousand  printed 
certificates,  and  went  in  person  to  nearly  as  many  mechanics'  shops  and  manufactories, 
and  induced  the  '  boss '  then  and  there  to  sign  them,  inserting  the  names  of  the  appren- 
tices; had  but  one  refusal  —  that  by  Mr.  C  ,  in  Pearl  street;  740  lads  drew  volumes  on 

the  opening  of  the  library,  25th  November,  1820.  I  then  founded  the  Merchants'  Clerks 
Library,  Clinton  Hall ;  called  the  first  meeting  at  the  Tontine  Coffee-House,  and  gave  the 
first  volume  ;  worked  at  that  institution  some  four  to  six  months  previous.  I  had  the  sole 
honor  to  found  and  originate  the  Merchants'  Clerks  and  Mechanics'  Libraries  in  Boston ; 
those  in  New-York  came  next,  and  so  on,  to  New  Orleans,  to  Montreal." 

These  are  all  the  data  your  committee  have  been  able  to  discover  on  our  records, 
from  which  to  form  an  opinion  relative  to  Mr.  Wood's  participation  in  the  establishment 
of  the  library. 

The  following  statement  forms  part  of  a  notice  of  Mr.  Wood,  in  "  Ballou's  Pictorial," 
of  September  9th,  1857,  as  well  as  in  other  papers  about  the  same  date,  and  the  fact 
appears  to  be  unquestioned,  viz. : 

"  The  Apprentices'  Library  of  Boston  was  the  first  he  originated.  This  was  inaugurated 
with  more  than  usual  ceremony,  on  the  evening  of  February  22d,  1820,  in  the  old  State 
House :  Theodore  Lyman,  Jr.,  delivering  an  address,  and  the  keys  of  the  library  being 
given  up  in  form,  by  Mr.  Wood,  to  Benjamin  Russell,  the  President  of  the  Massachusetts 
Charitable  Mechanics'  Association. 

From  the  foregoing  papers  it  appears  that  the  first  institution  of  the  kind  in  this 
country,  and  perhaps  in  the  world,  was  the  Apprentices'  Library  of  Boston  ;  that  it  was 
originated  by  Mr.  Wood,  and  that  its  organization  was  completed  on  February  22d,  1820. 

2.  That  a  committee  of  our  Society,  in  a  report,  presented  March  1st,  1820, 
recommended  the  establishment  of  an  Apprentices'  Library  in  this  city. 

3.  That  Brother  Mercein,  chairman  of  the  committee,  wrote  to  Mr.  Wood,  on  the 
4th  of  March,  1820,  asking  information  relative  to  the  mode  of  conducting  such  an 
institution. 


284 


GENERAL      SOCIETY  OF 


4.  That  Mr.  Wood  subsequently  came  to  this  city,  and  for  several  months  took  an 
active  and  efficient  part  in  the  establishment  of  our  library. 

These  are  all  the  facts  that  your  committee  have  been  able  to  discover  relative  to  the 
question:  "To  whom  is  due  the  credit  of  having  first  suggested  the  establishment  of  an 
Apprentices'  Library  in  this  city  ?  '*  They  do  not  appear  to  settle  the  question  definitely, 
but  the  weight  of  their  testimony  is  adverse  to  the  supposition  that  it  is  due  directly  to  Mr. 
Wood.  If,  then,  he  originated  our  institution,  as  well  as  that  in  Boston, — as  your  com- 
mittee learn  from  those  who  were  acquainted  with  him,  as  well  as  from  several  of  his 
letters  in  their  possession,  that  he  uniformly  claimed  to  have  done, —  it  would  appear  to 
have  been  in  some  indirect  way,  perhaps  during  the  early  stages  of  the  latter,  or  through 
the  accounts  of  its  inauguration,  published  in  the  newspapers  of  the  day.  Mr.  Wood 
continued  to  take  a  lively  interest  in  the  library  as  long  as  he  lived.  Some  instances  of 
this  are  recorded  in  the  minutes  of  the  Library  Committee,  of  which  we  will  only  notice 
the  most  recent.  We  find,  by  reference  to  the  minutes  of  the  committee,  that  in  1844, 
after  ascertaining  by  inquiry  of  the  Library  Committee  that  such  a  donation  would  be 
acceptable,  he  presented  five  hundred  New  Testaments,  to  be  distributed  among  the 
readers.  A  little  later  he  presented  four  hundred  and  seventy-five  more  Testaments,  and 
also  a  sum  of  money,  in  relation  to  which  he  writes  as  follows : 

Canandaigua,  Feb.  17th,  1844. 
Esteemed  Sir:  I  am  much  obliged  by  your  favor  of  the  12th  inst.  Its  contents  are 
very  gratifying.  I  now  send  on  the  Mechanics'  Exchange  Bank  for  $38.25,10  buy,  at  the 
Society  Bible  House  475  Testaments,  same  as  the  last,  which  will  amount  to  $33.25. 
The  five  dollars  over  I  beg,  sir,  you  will  do  me  the  favor  to  deposit  in  the  savings-bank, 
for  the  reader  at  your  institution  who  may  gain  it  under  the  following  plan  (to  induce 
them  to  read  a  little  more  than  they  otherwise  might),  viz.:  Every  apprentice  who  has 
read  the  Testament  throughout  by  the  1 5th  of  May  next,  to  draw  a  lot  in  the  library,  for 
the  $5.00  which  is  offered  to  the  fortunate  one  as  a  premium  for  his  industry,  &c,  in 
acquiring  knowledge  from  the  "  Book  of  Life."  I  pray  you,  sir,  to  excuse  (this,  perhaps, 
you  may  think  a  whim),  but  I  have  and  do  still  feel  such  a  deep  interest  in  the  well-being 
of  your  institution  that  I  could  not  help  its  showing  itself  in  this  way.  Be  pleased  to  offer 
my  respects  to  your  worthy  government,  and  receive  the  same  from,  Sir, 

Your  obliged  friend, 
(Signed,)  .       William  Wood. 

To  Isaac  Fryer,  See.,  &c,  New -York. 

These  books  were  received,  and  fifty-one  of  the  readers  having  complied  with  the 
conditions,  drew  lots  for  the  money.  A  full  account  of  the  drawing  was  sent  to 
Mr.  Wood. 

In  October,  1848,  the  following  letter  was  received  from  him  by  the  committee : 

Canandaigua,  Oct.  14th,  1848. 
Esteemed  Sir  :  I  have  been  thinking  some  time  past  that  I  would  make  bold  to  say 
that  I  have  an  aged  portrait  of  the  writer,  myself,  which,  if  you  thought  advisable  to 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


285 


receive,  I  shall  be  pleased  to  offer  to  the  (your)  institution,  to  be  placed  in  the  most 
humble  position  within  the  walls  of  the  library  in  Crosby  street. 

The  following  are  the  circumstances  which  put  it  into  my  possession : 
Previous  to  the  opening  of  the  library  in  1820,  two  apprentices  to  a  portrait  painter, 
of  about  sixteen  and  twenty  years  of  age,  applied  to  me  to  obtain  them  the  privilege  of 
drawing  books  with  the  other  apprentices,  which  power  I  received  from  one  of  its  early 
friends,  Thomas  R.  Mercein,  Esq.  They  expressed  great  gratification,  and  called  after- 
wards and  requested  I  would  allow  them  to  paint  my  head.  After  some  hesitation  I  gave 
leave.  It  has  been  in  my  possession  some  twenty-eight  years.  It  has  received  some 
severe  usage  during  my  absence.  The  frame  is  made  from  fragments  of  a  very  ancient 
frame,  carved  in  the  olden  style,  containing  formerly  one  of  Copley's  some  century  since. 
Any  artist  of  your  city  can  put  the  painting  all  right  again.  If,  esteemed  sir,  after  due 
consideration,  your  government  should  honor  it  with  due  acceptance,  it  shall  be  at  once 
sent  to  New- York. 

Waiting  the  favor  of  an  early  answer, 

I  remain  your  obedient  servant, 

William  Wood. 

To  the  President  of  the  Mechanics'  Apprentices'  Library, 

Crosby  Street,  New- York. 

The  chairman  of  the  committee  replied  to  this  letter,  informing  Mr.  Wood  that  it 
would  afford  the  committee  great  satisfaction  to  receive  the  portrait,  which  was  accordingly 
sent,  and  the  receipt  of  it  acknowledged.  Soon  after  the  following  communication  was 
received  from  him : 

Highwood,  17th  Nov.,  1848. 
My  Dear  Sir  :    I  have  received  your  very  acceptable  letter,  accompanying  the  box 
for  Mr.  Greig,  who  is  an  old  acquaintance  and  friend.    My  son  Gracie  takes  charge  of 
it,  and  all  will  go  as  you  desire.    I  return  you  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Greig  my  wife's  and 
my  hearty  thanks  for  your  joint  remembrance  of  me.    We  reciprocate  fully  your  kindness. 
I  write  from  home,  and  have  nothing  of  interest  to  communicate. 

Being  always  respectfully  and  truly  yours, 

James  G.  King. 

W.  Wood,  Esq. 

On  the  back  of  this  is  the  following  : 

Canandaigua,  Dec.  4th,  1848. 
Esteemed  Sir  :  I  am  gratified  to  learn  from  your  polite  letter  of  30th  ult.,  that  the 
portrait  is  received  by  the  government  of  the  Mechanics'  Apprentices'  Library  in  so  kind  a 
spirit.  I  have  no  wishes  to  have  it  glitter  in  a  golden  frame,  the  one  which  encloses  it 
being  quite  an  original,  as  is  (considering  all  the  circumstances)  the  painting ;  and,  dear 
sir,  it  will  be  esteemed  a  favor,  if  you  will  not  allow  it  to  occupy  a  conspicuous  place,  but 
one  of  retirement.  Is  it  possible  to  affix  my  most  esteemed  friend  "  Mercein's  "  letter  to 
the  back  or  front  of  the  frame,  so  that  it  can  show  his  early  zeal  in  the  cause,  that  we  may 
go  along  together,  as  we  did  on  many  a  day  thirty  years  since  ?    Is  there  no  portrait  of 


286 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


him  that  might  grace  your  institution  ?  Surely  his  memory  claims  a  mark  of  veneration. 
I  write  these  lines  on  the  letter  of  Mr.  King,  because  I  think  it  may  please  you  to  learn  he 
calls  you  a  friend.  I  met  his  honored  father  fifty  years  ago  in  London,  who  was  also  a 
friend  ;  his  upright  sons  have  continued  their  friendship  to  this  hour. 

Farewell,  kind  sir. 

Wm.  Wood. 

To  James  S.  Greig,  Esq.,  New- York. 

The  portrait,  when  it  came  into  the  hands  of  the  committee,  was  of  a  circular  form, 
but  little  larger  than  the  size  of  the  head.  It  was  afterward  inserted  into  a  piece  of 
canvas,  of  the  size  ordinarily  used  for  portraits,  and  some  additions  made  to  it,  after  which 
it  was  framed,  and  now  hangs  in  the  library.  It  is  thought  by  those  who  knew  Mr.  Wood 
to  be  an  excellent  likeness. 


APPENDIX  L. 


THE  PRESENTATION  OF  THE  BATTLE -FLAGS. 
Reply  of  Rev.  Francis  Vinton,  D.  D. 

Trinity  Church,  New-York,  February  17th,  1862. 
Wm.  Van  Norden,  Secretary. 

My  Dear  Sir  :  Inclosed  I  hand  you,  at  your  request,  a  copy  of  the  prayer  made  by 
me  at  the  presentation  of  colors  to  the  Serrell  Regiment  of  Engineers,  at  the  headquarters 
of  the  National  Guard,  on  Thursday,  January  23d. 

Very  truly, 

Francis  Vinton. 

"  O  Almighty  God!  Creator  of  all  men,  Governor  of  Nations,  without  whom  nothing 
is  strong,  nothing  is  holy,  Thou  art  the  protector  of  all  those  who  trust  in  Thee.  Let  the 
shield  of  Thy  omnipotent  care  be  extended  over  the  United  States  of  America,  to  defend 
the  Constitution,  and  to  perfect  the  union  of  the  people.  Give  wisdom  to  the  President, 
and  to  all  who  are  in  authority,  to  devise  means  whereby  peace  may  again  bless  our  whole 
country.  Inspire  the  people  with  a  spirit  to  think  and  to  do  that  which  is  right.  Thou 
hast  proclaimed  war  through  the  land.    Thou  hast  waked  up  the  mighty  men,  and  we 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


287 


have  seen  the  men  of  war  draw  near  and  come  up  at  the  summons  to  uphold  the  laws. 
The  people  are  beating  their  ploughshares  into  swords,  and  their  pruning-hooks  into 
spears.  A  loving  patriotism  has  yielded  the  pride  and  treasure  of  the  family  to  protect 
the  State.  A  religious  loyalty  has  animated  and  nerved  society  to  offer  whatever  is  valued 
in  social  desire  to  reinforce  the  Government  of  the  United  States  as  a  Divine  Institution 
ordained  of  God  for  good.  Heavenly  Father !  bless  and  prosper  the  courage  and  piety 
that  has  thus  been  displayed.  Defend  those  who  with  their  lives  in  their  hands  maintain 
the  cause  of  our  country. 

"  Send  thy  benediction  on  the  venerable  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen,  who 
have  evinced  their  loyalty  this  day  in  providing  these  colors  to  the  New-York  Volunteer 
Engineer  Regiment.  Especially  bless  these  banners,  that  they  may  be  the  ensigns 
of  victory. 

"  Be  Thou  the  ruler  and  guide  of  all  the  regiments  of  the  army,  and  the  guardian  of 
this  one,  that  they  may  so  pass  through  the  perils  of  this  life  as  to  accomplish  Thy  will, 
and  fail  not  of  everlasting  salvation. 

"  O  God !  bring  peace  in  our  time,  and  to  this  end  allay  passion,  pride,  and  prejudice. 
Be  especially  with  us  to-day,  and  evermore  bow  the  hearts  of  all  in  obedience  to  duty  as 
Christians  and  fellow-citizens,  as  loyalists  and  patriots,  as  sinners  saved  through  a  common 
salvation  in  Jesus  Christ,  to  whom  with  the  Father  and  the  Holy  Ghost  be  praise  now  and 
forever.  Amen. 

THE  BLESSING. 

"  The  peace  of  God,  which  passeth  all  understanding,  keep  your  hearts  and  minds  in 
the  knowledge  and  love  of  God  and  of  His  Son,  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord ;  and  the  blessing 
of  God  Almighty,  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  be  amongst  you  and  remain 
with  you  always.  Amen." 

REPLY  OF  BROTHER  JOSEPH  HOXIE. 

New-York,  February  27th,  1862. 

To  Wm.  Van  Norden,  Esq.,  Secy. 

Dear  Sir:  Yours  of  the  6th  inst.,  inclosing  copy  of  the  resolution  passed  at  a 
meeting  of  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen,  held  on  the  5th  inst., 
thanking  me  for  what  they  are  pleased  to  represent  "my  most  acceptable  and  spirited 
speech,"  delivered  on  the  occasion  of  the  flag  presentation  to  the  Volunteer  Engineer 
Regiment  on  the  23d  of  January,  "  and  requesting  a  copy  of  the  same,"  was  duly 
received. 

I  thank  the  Society  for  their  favorable  opinion  of  the  brief  address,  but  cannot 
comply  with  their  request  for  a  copy.  It  is  hard  to  make  a  copy  when  there  is  no 
original.  I  never  wrote  a  speech.  I  suppose  I  said  something  of  the  composition  of  the 
regiment  and  the  character  of  its  gallant  officers,  thanking  them  for  what  they  had 
already  done,  and  what  I  was  sure  they  would  do  in  the  future.    I  hope  I  did  not  forget 


288 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


to  allude  to  the  fact  that  the  chairman  of  your  committee  (Brother  Farnham)  has  given 
two  sons  to  his  country.  I  am  sure  I  did  not  forget  the  martyrs  of  the  Seventh  Regiment 
—  Winthrop  at  Big  Bethel,  Farnham  at  Manassas,  and  Alden  at  Ball's  Bluff — all 
baptized  in  blood  on  the  battle-field,  fighting  for  their  country  and  its  flag,  and  I  shall  not 
forgive  myself  if  I  failed  to  allude  to  the  character  and  services  of  the  National  Guard,  in 
whose  armory  we  were  assembled.  I  know  of  no  military  organization  possessing  more 
moral  worth  or  devoted  patriotism ;  they  left  all  the  endearments  of  home  for  the 
privations  of  the  camp,  and  repaired  promptly  to  the  Capital  when  it  was  threatened,  and 
the  only  time  when  it  has  been  in  danger.  I  know  the  estimation  in  which  their  services 
were  held  by  the  first  captain  of  the  age  —  noble  Scott,  who  thanked  them  for  their  timely 
assistance.  I  think  our  citizens  have  not  done  justice  to  this  gallant  corps',  which,  for 
drill  and  discipline,  are  second  only  to  the  graduates  of  West  Point. 

With  great  respect,  your  obedient  servant, 

Joseph  Hoxie. 

LETTER  FROM  COLONEL  E.  W.  SERRELL. 

Headquarters  Volunteer  Engineers, 

Hilton  Head,  February  16th,  1862. 

My  Dear  Friends:  I  have  just  learned  from  New- York  that  up  to  the  5th  inst.  you 
had  not  received  any  reply  to  two  letters  you  had  written  to  me  lately.  This  is  strange 
indeed,  and  I  beg  that  you  will  not  impute  it  to  any  neglect  of  mine,  as  I  have  duly 
answered  all  your  communications,  and  only  regret  they  have  not  been  many  more. 

We  have  not  yet  received  the  beautiful  stand  of  colors  that  your  Society  presented  to 
us;  but  when  they  do  come,  rest  assured  that  they  will  be  held  most  sacred.  We  are  all 
looking  for  them,  that  they  may  be  borne  in  the  advance  when  the  next  movement  is 
made. 

To  you  of  the  committee  who  have  exerted  yourselves  so  much  in  our  behalf  our 
grateful  acknowledgments  are  due.  Officers  and  men  unite  in  thanking  you  most  heartily, 
and  to  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New-York  we 
shall  ever  feel  that  we  are  indebted  for  a  magnificent  gift,  that  will  be  our  pride  to  possess 
and  duty  to  preserve. 

"  To  Construct  and  Defend  "  is  our  object,  and  our  effort  shall  be  to  secure  the 
interests  of  society  and  the  integrity  of  our  glorious  Union. 

Very  respectfully, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

E.  W.  Serrell, 
Colonel  Volunteer  Engineers. 

To  Geo.  W.  Farnham,  L.  W.  Stevens,  J.  Van  Norden, 

Committee. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


289 


APPENDIX  M. 


RECEPTION  OF  THE  FIRST  NEW-YORK  VOLUNTEER  ENGINEER 

REGIMENT. 

The  committee  appointed  by  the  Society,  June  8th,  to  make  arrangements  for  the 
Society  to  receive  the  First  New-York  Volunteer  Engineer  Regiment  on  their  return  to 
the  city,  respectfully  report : 

That  immediately  after  their  appointment  they  opened  a  correspondence  with 
Brother  Brigadier-General  James  F.  Hall,  informing  him  of  the  desire  of  the  Society  to 
give  him  and  his  gallant  regiment  a  fitting  reception  and  hearty  welcome  on  their  return 
to  the  city,  and  requested  the  General  to  give  us  the  best  information  he  could  as  to  the 
time  of  their  expected  arrival,  so  that  the  wishes  of  the  Society  might  be  carried  out. 

The  committee  were  informed,  in  reply,  that  it  was  expected  that  the  regiment  would 
be  mustered  out  of  service  in  a  few  days,  and  that  as  soon  as  the  precise  clay  of  their 
departure  was  known,  it  would  be  communicated  to  the  committee  by  telegraph. 

No  further  intelligence  on  the  subject  was  received  by  the  committee  until  the  morning 
of  the  3d  of  July,  when  a  letter  was  received  from  General  Hall,  stating  that  he,  with  a 
detachment  of  nine  hundred  of  his  men,  were  on  board  of  a  transport  in  Chesapeake  Bay, 
awaiting  transportation  from  Baltimore  to  New-York. 

The  committee,  during  that  day,  were  active  in  making  inquiries  in  the  proper  quarters 
to  learn  whether  the  regiment  were  en  route  from  Baltimore,  but  could  gai"  no  information 
when  they  would  arrive  ;  it  appeared  afterward  the  telegram  that  had  been  sent  by  General 
Hall  of  their  being  on  the  route  had  miscarried,  and  did  not  reach  its  destination  until  the 
following  Monday. 

Under  the  uncertainty  of  the  case,  the  committee  made  an  arrangement  with  Colonel 
Colyer,  of  the  Soldiers'  Home,  to  furnish  the  officers  and  men  with  suitable  quarters  and 
entertainment,  and  instructing  him  to  furnish,  in  addition  to  the  rations  generously  placed 
at  his  disposal  by  the  State  authorities,  all  the  delicacies  of  the  season,  and  everything 
necessary  to  the  comfort  of  officers  and  men. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  of  Saturday,  the  3d  of  July,  the  regiment  were  accidentally  met 
by  one  of  the  committee  on  their  line  of  march  through  Broadway,  and  escorted  to  the 
quarters  provided  for  them ;  the  services  of  several  patriotic  ladies  were  brought  into 
requisition.  Colonel  Colyer  carried  out  the  wishes  of  the  committee  very  satisfactorily, 
in  providing  a  substantial  meal,  and  such  fruits  and  other  delicacies  as  the  market  afforded, 
that  were  spread  before  the  brave  men,  and  showed  them  that  they  were  welcome  back  to 


290 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


their  homes,  and  that  the  Society  appreciated  their  service  and  toil  in  the  cause  of  our 
common  country ;  these  attentions  on  behalf  of  the  Society  were  continued  for  several  days, 
until  the  regiment  were  paid  off  and  disbanded.  Colonel  Colyer  has  received  the  thanks 
of  the  committee  for  his  valuable  services,  without  which  the  committee  would  have  been 
very  much  embarrassed. 

At  the  July  meeting  of  the  Society,  General  Hall  made  his  appearance  among  us. 
He  received  an  enthusiastic  and  cordial  greeting  from  the  members  present,  and  after  an 
appropriate  welcome  from  the  President  on  behalf  of  the  Society,  and  a  happy  response 
from  General  Hall,  the  Society  adjourned  to  give  an  opportunity  for  the  members  person- 
ally to  exchange  greetings  with  our  returned  brother.  The  minutes  of  the  July  meeting  of 
the  Society  give  a  full  account  of  this  interesting  interview.  Before  leaving,  General  Hall 
stated  he  would  be  pleased  to  return  to  the  custody  of  the  Society,  on  the  following 
afternoon,  the  flags  which  were  presented  to  the  regiment  by  the  Society,  in  186 1.  An 
arrangement  was  accordingly  made  to  have  the  ceremony  come  off  at  the  Seventh  Regiment 
Armory  (which  spacious  room  had,  by  the  kindness  of  Colonel  Emmons  Clark,  been 
placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  Society  for  the  occasion),  at  four  o'clock  on  Thursday, 
July  6th,  of  which  notice  was  given  to  the  absent  members  through  the  daily  papers. 

At  the  time  appointed  the  Society  assembled  at  the  Armory.  The  regiment 
appeared  and  formed  a  hollow  square  around  the  platform,  and  the  following  interesting 
exercises  took  place,  interspersed  with  music  by  Grafulla's  band.  The  stand  of  colors, 
consisting  of  regimental  and  national  flags,  and  the  two  guide  colors,  were  brought  forward 
and  returned  to  the  Society  by  General  Hall,  in  a  patriotic  and  appropriate  speech.  They 
were  received  on  the  part  of  the  Society  by  the  President,  with  an  appropriate  response, 
thanking  the  officers  and  men  for  the  credit  they  had  done  the  Society  by  their  noble 
conduct  during  the  war,  and  the  heroism  with  which  they  had  sustained  these  colors, 
never  having-  in  one  instance  dishonored  them,  but  always  borne  them  on  to  victory. 
Brother  Joseph  Hoxie  then  made  some  very  feeling  remarks,  having  been  an  eye-witness 
to  some  of  the  hardships  and  dangers  suffered  by  the  regiment. 

The  ceremonies  were  concluded  by  an  eloquent  and  patriotic  speech  from  Brother 
Wm.  D.  Murphy.  The  whole  proceedings  seemed  to  give  satisfaction  and  pleasure  to  the 
audience  assembled,  as  testified  by  their  frequent  applause. 

After  the  presentation  ceremonies  the  Society  formed  in  procession;  the  regiment 
also  formed  in  line,  and  under  their  military  escort  the  Society,  with  the  returned  colors, 
marched  through  Astor  Place  to  Broadway,  and  down  Broadway  to  the  Society's  hall,  and 
deposited  the  colors  in  the  library  rooms.  It  is  hoped  the  Society  will  make  some  suitable 
provision  for  the  proper  preservation  and  display  of  these  mementos  of  our  national 
conflict,  which  has  now  become  a  portion  of  the  history  of  the  age,  and  they  would, 
therefore,  recommend  that  a  suitable  case  in  which  to  place  the  returned  flags  be  procured 
and  placed  in  some  conspicuous  part  of  the  library  or  meeting-room. 

The  committee  further  report  that  of  the  $1,000  which  the  Society  appropriated, 
they  have  expended  the  sum  of  $525.70,  as  per  accompanying  voucher,  leaving  the 
balance,  amounting  to  $474.30,  in  the  treasury. 

The  committee  would  recommend  for  adoption  the  following  resolutions: 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


29I 


Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  the  Society  are  hereby  tendered  to  Colonel  Emmons 
Clark,  Seventh  Regiment,  N.  G.,  for  the  use  of  the  armory  of  his  regiment  on  the  occasion 
of  the  reception  of  the  First  New- York  Volunteer  Engineer  Regiment. 

Resolved,  That  the  Finance  Committee  be  and  are  hereby  instructed  to  procure  a 
suitable  case  for  the  proper  preservation  and  display  of  the  flags  received  from  the  First 
New-York  Volunteer  Engineer  Regiment,  and  place  the  same  in  a  conspicuous  situation 
in  some  part  of  the  hall  of  the  Society. 

All  of  which  is  respectfully  submitted  on  behalf  of  the  committee. 

Noah  Worrall, 

September  6,  1865.  Chairman. 


APPENDIX  N. 


BY-LAWS. 
Article  I. —  Meetings. 

§  1.  The  meetings  of  this  Society  shall  be  held  at  the  Mechanics'  Hall.  An  annual 
meeting  shall  be  held  on  the  second  Tuesday  in  January,  at  three  o'clock  p.  m.,  and  regu- 
lar meetings  shall  be  held  on  the  first  Wednesday  in  every  month  of  May,  June,  July, 
August,  and  September,  at  eight  o'clock  p.  m.;  and  of  every  month  of  October,  November, 
December,  January,  February,  March,  and  April,  at  half-past  seven  o'clock  p.  M.  Twenty- 
five  members  shall  be  considered  a  quorum. 

§  2.  Whenever  seven  members  shall  deem  it  expedient  to  have  a  special  meeting, 
they  shall  signify  the  same  in  writing  to  the  President  for  the  time  being,  who  shall  direct 
the  Secretary  to  notify  the  members  accordingly. 

Article  II. —  Elections. 

§  1.  At  the  regular  meeting  in  December  in  every  year,  or  as  soon  thereafter  as  may 
be,  three  members  shall  be  chosen  by  the  Society,  as  inspectors  of  the  annual  election  of 
officers,  to  receive,  canvass,  and  estimate  the  votes  given  for  President,  First  Vice- 
President,  Second  Vice-President,  Treasurer,  Secretary,  and  Collector. 


292 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


§  2.  When  a  quorum  of  members  are  present  on  the  day  of  the  annual  meeting,  the 
presiding  officer  for  the  time  being  shall,  between  the  hours  of  three  and  four  o'clock  p.  m., 
call  the  meeting  to  order ;  when,  after  going  through  the  ordinary  business  of  the  Society, 
they  shall  proceed  by  ballot  to  the  choice  of  officers  for  the  ensuing  year:  Provided, 
always,  should  it  at  any  time  happen  that  a  quorum  of  members  be  not  present  at  orbeibre 
four  o'clock  p.  m.j  the  opening  of  the  poll  for  the  election  of  officers  shall  not  be  suspended 
beyond  that  hour. 

§  3.  The  poll  for  election  shall  be  closed  at  seven  o'clock  p.  m.,  and  the  inspectors 
shall  give  notice  of  its  closing  at  least  fifteen  minutes  preceding.  Immediately  on  closing 
the  poll,  they  shall  proceed  to  canvass  the  votes,  and  on  completing  the  same,  shall  regu- 
larly certify,  under  their  hands,  the  persons  having  the  greatest  number  of  votes;  which 
certificate,  provided  a  quorum  of  members  be  present,  shall  forthwith  be  reported  to  the 
Society,  otherwise  deposited  with  the  Secretary,  and  registered  on  the  minutes. 

§  4.  Special  elections  for  filling  vacancies  shall  be  at  a  stated  meeting  of  the  Society, 
not  more  than  two  months  after  such  vacancies  shall  have  happened ;  and  the  presiding 
officer  shall  cause  the  members  to  be  notified  thereof  in  the  papers  employed  by  the  Society, 
at  least  one  week  previous  to  the  time  of  such  election. 

Article  III. — The  President  and  Vice-Presidents. 

§  1.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  President  to  preside  at  all  meetings  of  the  Society ;  to 
preserve  decorum,  and  decide  all  questions  of  order,  subject,  however,  to  an  appeal  to  the 
Society.  He  shall  not  vote  on  any  question  or  motion,  unless  the  Society  be  equally 
divided. 

§  2.  In  case  of  the  absence  of  the  President,  the  First  Vice-President  shall  preside, 
and  perform  the  duties  of  the  President ;  and  in  case  of  the  absence  of  both  the  President 
and  the  First  Vice-President,  the  Second  Vice-President  shall  in  like  manner  preside,  and 
perform  the  said  duties;  and  in  the  event  of  all  the  said  officers  being  absent,  the  Society 
(a  quorum  being  present)  shall  appoint  a  President  pro  tempore,  who  shall  perform  all  the 
duties  incident  to  the  office. 

§  3.  The  President  of  the  Society  shall  be  ex-officio  a  member  of  the  School  Com- 
mittee, and  of  the  Committee  for  Promoting  and  Disseminating  Literary  and  Scientific 
Knowledge;  the  First  Vice-President  ex-officio  a  member  of  the  Library  Committee;  and 
the  Second  Vice-President  and  Treasurer  ex-officio  members  of  the  Finance  Committee. 

§  4.  The  President  is  authorized  and  empowered  to  vote  on  the  stock  held  by  this 
Society  in  the  Mechanics'  National  Bank  of  the  City  of  New-York,  at  all  elections  for 
directors  of  said  bank. 

Article  IV. — The  Treasurer. 

§  1.  Before  the  Treasurer  enters  upon  the  duties  of  his  office,  he  shall  annually  give  a 
bond  to  the  Society,  with  two  sufficient  sureties,  in  a  sum  not  less  than  five  thousand 
dollars,  for  the  faithful  performance  of  the  trust  reposed  in  him,  which  bond  shall  be 
deposited  with  the  Finance  Committee. 

§  2.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Treasurer  to  receive  and  safely  keep  all  deeds,  mort- 
gages, or  any  titles  to  property  belonging  to  the  Society ;  also  certificates  of  stock,  and 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


293 


such  evidences  of  debt  as  may  be  received  for  the  benefit  of  the  Society ;  to  collect  the 
rents,  the  interest  of  any  money  secured  by  bond  and  mortgage,  the  dividends  on  the  stock 
held  by  the  Society,  the  initiation  fees,  and  generally  all  moneys  owing  to  the  Society,  the 
collection  of  which  is  not  otherwise  provided  for. 

§  3.  All  moneys  received  by  the  Treasurer  for  or  011  account  of  the  Society  shall  be 
deposited  by  him,  in  the  name  of  the  Society,  in  such  bank  or  banks  as  may  be  designated 
for  that  purpose  in  the  manner  following.  And  it  is  hereby  made  the  duty  of  the  Finance 
Committee,  with  the  approval  of  the  President  of  the  Society,  to  designate  from  time  to 
time,  as  said  committee  may  deem  advisable,  some  bank  or  banks  in  the  city  of  New-York, 
in  which  said  moneys  shall  be  deposited  by  him  :  Provided,  always,  that  the  Society  may 
at  any  time  instruct  said  committee  and  President,  or  otherwise  direct  them,  relative  to  the 
matter. 

§  4.  The  Treasurer  shall  pay  the  quarterly  drafts  of  the  several  Standing  Committees, 
the  salaries  of  the  officers  of  the  Society,  and  also  all  specific  orders  drawn  on  him  in  pur- 
suance of  any  resolution  of  the  Society.  But  no  moneys  of  the  Society  shall  be  drawn 
from  any  bank  in  which  the  same  may  be  deposited,  except  on  a  check  signed  by  him  as 
Treasurer,  and  countersigned  by  the  President  of  the  Society,  said  check  being  made  pay- 
able to  the  order  of  the  person  or  persons  to  whom  it  is  to  be  paid. 

§  5.  He  shall  keep,  in  suitable  books,  separate  accounts  with  every  piece  of  property, 
and  with  all  stock  owned  by  the  Society,  with  every  committee  or  fund,  and  with  every 
individual  or  firm  that  may  be  at  any  time  indebted  to  the  Society.  Said  accounts  shall  be 
written  up  and  posted  on  or  before  every  quarterly  meeting  of  the  Society.  Said  books 
shall  be  kept  in  the  iron  safe  of  the  Society,  and  shall  at  all  suitable  times  be  accessible  to 
any  officer  of  the  Society,  and  to  the  chairman  of  each  of  the  Standing  Committees.  He 
shall  be  authorized  to  employ  some  suitable  person  to  assist  him  in  keeping  said  books,  at 
an  expense  not  exceeding  one  hundred  dollars  per  annum. 

§  6.  He  shall  report  at  the  regular  meetings  in  the  months  of  January,  April,  July,  and 
October,  the  state  of  the  finances  and  funds,  and  subjoin  his  own  account  thereto,  for  the 
inspection  of  the  members.  He  shall  report  annually,  at  the  regular  meeting  in  January, 
a  full  account  of  all  moneys  received  and  disbursed  by  him  from  the  first  day  of  January 
to  the  thirty-first  day  of  December,  inclusive,  of  the  year  preceding,  with  a  statement  of  the 
financial  condition  of  the  Society ;  and  for  his  services  he  shall  be  allowed  a  compensation 
of  three  hundred  dollars  per  annum. 

§  7.  The  Society  shall  appoint  annually  a  committee  of  three  members,  to  examine 
the  books  of  the  Treasurer  and  Secretary  respectively,  who  shall  report  the  result  at  the 
next  regular  meeting  of  the  Society  thereafter. 

§  8.  When  a  new  Treasurer  is  chosen,  his  predecessor  in  office  shall  be  allowed 
twenty  days  to  adjust  and  settle  his  accounts  and  other  matters  appertaining  to  the  duties 
of  his  office. 

In  the  absence  of  the  Treasurer  the  presiding  officer  shall  appoint  a  Treasurer 
pro  tempore. 

Article  V. — The  Secretary. 

§  1.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Secretary  to  attend  every  meeting  of  the  Society, 
except  when  prevented  by  sickness  or  absence  from  the  city. 


294 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


He  shall  keep  minutes  of  their  proceedings,  and  regularly  record  the  same  in  a  book 
provided  for  the  purpose. 

He  shall  also  record  copies  of  all  reports  made  to  the  Society,  in  a  book  provided  for  that 
purpose ;  and  shall  file  and  number  all  original  papers,  resolutions,  and  other  documents  ; 
and  when  reporting  the  minutes  of  the  preceding  meeting,  he  shall  read  them  as  then 
written  in  the  book  of  minutes. 

He  shall  also  keep  a  book  wherein  each  member's  name  and  occupation  shall  be  in- 
serted, in  such  order  and  manner  that  it  will  appear  when  he  was  admitted,  expelled,  died, 
or  withdrew,  as  the  case  may  be,  which  book  shall  be  the  General  Register  of  the  Society. 

He  shall  notify,  without  delay,  each  person  elected  a  member  of  the  Society  of  such 
election  ;  and  on  the  election  of  any  member  to  an  office,  shall  give  him  due  notice  thereof. 

When  any  committee  has  been  appointed,  he  shall  furnish  to  the  member  first  named 
thereon  a  written  list  of  the  names  of  the  several  members  appointed  to  constitute  the 
same,  and  a  copy  of  the  resolution,  matter,  or  thing  referred  to  them. 

When  motions  are  made  and  seconded,  he  shall  record  the  names  of  those  members 
by  whom  they  are  made. 

He  shall  cause  due  public  notice  to  be  given  of  all  the  meetings  of  the  Society  in 
such  of  the  daily  papers  of  the  city  as  the  Society  may  direct. 

He  shall  be  allowed  for  his  services  five  hundred  dollars  per  annum. 

§  2.  The  seal  of  the  Society  shall  be  kept  by  the  Secretary,  and  used  for  the  purpose 
of  sealing  all  certificates  of  admission,  and  such  other  papers  as  the  Society  may  direct,  by 
resolution,  to  be  executed  under  their  seal. 

§  3.  The  plate  for  the  certificates  of  membership  shall  be  kept  by  the  Secretary,  and 
each  member  shall  be  entitled  to  a  certificate,  dated  from  the  time  of  his  initiation,  on  the 
payment  of  one  dollar  to  the  Secretary,  to  be  by  him  paid  to  the  Treasurer. 

§  4.  The  books  in  which  the  minutes,  reports,  &c,  of  the  Society  are  recorded,  and 
all  books,  papers,  &c,  appertaining  to  the  office  and  duty  of  Secretary,  shall  be  kept  by 
him  in  the  iron  safe  of  the  Society,  and  shall  not  be  taken  from  his  possession ;  but  any 
member  may,  at  all  suitable  times,  have  liberty  to  examine  and  make  extracts  from  them 
at  the  place  where  they  are  kept. 

§  5.  In  the  absence  or  inability  of  the  Secretary,  the  presiding  officer  shall  appoint 
one  of  the  members  to  officiate  as  Secretary  pro  tempore. 

Article  VI. — The  Door-keeper. 

A  Door-keeper  shall  be  appointed  by  the  President,  who  shall  attend  all  the  meetings 
of  the  Society,  and  shall  suffer  no  person  except  members  to  enter  the  hall  during  the  time 
of  meeting,  without  the  permission  of  the  Society. 

He  shall  at  all  times  have  the  hall  ready  and  prepared  for  the  meetings  of  the  Society ; 
and,  as  a  compensation,  shall  be  allowed  four  dollars  for  each  meeting  of  the  Society 
which  he  attends. 

Article  VII. — Standing  Committees. 

§  1.  The  Standing  Committees  of  the  Society  shall  be  a  Finance  Committee,  a  Com- 
mittee on  Pensions,  a  School  Committee,  a  Library  Committee,  and  a  Committee  for 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


295 


Promoting  and  Disseminating  Literary  and  Scientific  Knowledge.  No  individual  shall  be 
a  member  of  more  than  one  of  the  Standing  Committees  at  the  same  time. 

§  2.  The  President  (or  in  his  absence  the  officer  presiding)  shall,  at  the  meeting  of  the 
Society  held  in  February  of  each  year,  nominate,  and,  with  the  consent  of  the  Society, 
appoint  five  members  to  constitute  the  Finance  Committee ;  eight  to  constitute  the  Com- 
mittee on  Pensions ;  twelve  to  constitute  the  School  Committee ;  twelve  to  constitute  the 
Library  Committee,  and  twelve  to  constitute  the  Committee  for  Promoting  and  Dissemi- 
nating Literary  and  Scientific  Knowledge;  all  of  whom  shall  serve  one  year,  and  until 
others  are  appointed  in  their  place. 

§  3.  At  the  meeting  in  February  of  each  year,  or  if  from  any  cause  such  meeting 
should  not  be  held,  then  at  the  next  meeting  thereafter,  appropriations  for  the  current  year 
shall  be  made,  of  such  sums  as  may  then  be  deemed  sufficient,  and  within  the  means  of  the 
Treasury,  for  the  Finance  Committee,  the  Committee  on  Pensions,  the  School  Committee, 
the  Library  Committee,  and  the  Literary  and  Scientific  Committee,  to  be  by  the  said  com- 
mittees drawn  from  the  Treasury  quarterly ;  and  the  Treasurer  is  hereby  authorized  to  pay 
the  said  drafts. 

§  4.  The  several  Standing  Committees  shall  each  pay  the  salaries  or  wages  of  the 
persons  employed  in,  and  the  other  necessary  expenses  of,  the  departments  under  their 
charge,  respectively. 

§  5.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Finance  Committee,  the  Committee  on  Pensions,  the 
School,  Library,  and  Literary  and  Scientific  Committees,  and  they  are  hereby  required 
to  report  to  the  Society  quarterly,  to  wit,  at  the  meetings  held  in  January,  April,  July,  and 
October  of  each  year,  an  account  of  their  receipts  and  expenditures  during  the  preceding 
quarter,  and  the  vouchers  for  all  moneys  paid  by  them. 

Said  committees  shall  also  severally  make,  at  the  regular  meeting  of  the  Society  in 
January,  a  full  report  of  their  receipts  and  expenditures,  and  of  their  transactions  during 
the  year  ending  on  the  31st  day  of  December  preceding,  stating  therein  the  actual  condi- 
tion of  their  respective  departments,  and  all  such  matters  as  may  be  necessary  to  enable 
the  Society  to  form  an  accurate  judgment  of  the  results  of  their  operations.  Said  annual 
reports,  together  with  the  annual  report  of  the  Treasurer,  shall  be  referred  to  the  Finance 
Committee,  which  committee  shall  prepare  and  report  to  the  Society  at  the  regular  meeting 
in  February  next  ensuing,  a  statement  of  the  financial  condition  of  the  Society,  with 
estimates  of  the  probable  receipts  into  and  demands  upon  the  Treasury  during  the  ensuing 
year ;  and  shall  also  embody  in  said  statement  such  of  the  matters  from  the  annual  reports 
of  the  several  committees  as  they  may  deem  suitable  for  publication.  Said  statement  shall 
be  printed  for  the  use  of  the  members. 

Article  VIII. — The  Finance  Committee. 

The  Finance  Committee  shall  take  charge  of  all  buildings  and  lands  belonging  to  the 
Society,  and  direct  and  superintend  all  ordinary  and  necessary  repairs.  They  shall  report 
from  time  to  time  to  the  Society  such  other  repairs  and  improvements  as  they  may  deem 
expedient  to  be  made,  with  estimates  of  the  expense,  and  direct  and  superintend  the  same 


296 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


when  ordered  by  the  Society.    They  shall  audit  and  pay  all  bills  for  the  ordinary  and 

necessary  expenses  of  the  Society. 

Article  IX. — The  Committee  on  Pensions. 

§  1.  All  applications  made  to  this  Society  for  relief,  either  personally  or  by  petition, 
shall  be  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Pensions. 

It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  said  committee  to  inquire  into  the  circumstances  of  every 
member,  or  of  the  widow,  orphan,  or  orphans  of  any  deceased  member,  who  may  apply  for 

assistance. 

§  2.  Whenever  it  shall  appear  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  committee  that  the  situation  or 
circumstances  of  any  member  who  has  applied  for  relief  is  such  that  he  will  require  assist- 
ance more  than  one  year,  or  during  his  natural  life,  it  shall  be  their  duty  to  report  to  the 
Society,  for  their  concurrence,  a  specific  sum,  which,  in  their  opinion,  under  all  the  circum- 
stances, ought  to  be  granted  as  a  yearly  pension  to  such  member ;  which  pension,  if  con- 
curred in  by  the  Society,  shall  be  paid  by  them  in  the  same  manner  and  at  the  same 
periods  that  other  pensions  are  paid. 

They  shall  register  in  a  book,  to  be  kept  for  that  purpose,  the  names  of  the  pen- 
sioners and  the  names  and  ages  of  their  children ;  and  shall  pay  at  stated  periods  their 
pension  as  fixed  by  law. 

§  3.  In  the  event  of  the  death  of  any  member,  being  in  indigent  circumstances,  his 
widow,  orphan,  or  oqihans  shall  be  entitled  to  receive  assistance  agreeably  to  the  following 
regulations  : 

1.  All  widows  on  the  pension  list  shall  be  allowed  fifty-two  dollars  per  annum,  so 
long  as,  in  the  judgment  of  the  committee  or  of  the  Society,  their  circumstances  are  such 
as  to  require  the  aid  of  the  Society. 

2.  All  widows,  being  pensioners,  and  having  children  under  the  age  of  fourteen  years, 
shall  be  allowed  the  sum  of  twenty  dollars  per  annum  for  each  child;  which  allowance 
may  be  continued,  if  deemed  necessary  by  the  committee,  although  the  widow  may  have 
again  married. 

3.  When  a  child,  whose  mother  is  on  the  pension  list,  shall  arrive  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  years,  the  pension  of  the  widow  for  such  child  shall  cease. 

4.  Every  child  having  no  parents  living,  and  who  shall  be  entered  on  the  pension  list, 
shall  be  allowed  the  sum  of  forty  dollars  per  annum,  until  it  shall  arrive  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  years ;  the  said  money  to  be  paid  to  the  guardian  of  the  child,  or  such  other 
person  as  the  committee  shall  approve. 

5.  The  rules  relative  to  pensioners  shall  be  so  construed  as  not  to  debar  non-residents 
from  receiving  pensions. 

6.  No  arrearages  of  pensions  shall  be  paid  for  a  longer  period  than  one  year. 

§  4.  The  Committee  on  Pensions  shall  inquire,  at  least  once  in  each  year,  into  the 
circumstances  of  the  several  pensioners  of  the  Society,  in  order  that  they  may  obtain  a 
knowledge  whether  they  are  proper  objects  of  its  bounty. 

§  5.  When,  during  the  recess  of  the  Society,  applications  are  made  to  the  committee, 
by  pensioners  or  others,  either  for  relief  or  for  funeral  expenses  of  a  deceased  brother,  his 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


widow,  or  orphan  children  under  fourteen  years  of  age ;  or,  when  such  applications  have 
been  referred  to  them,  it  shall  be  their  duty  to  make  careful  investigation  of  the  circum- 
stances of  the  person  or  persons  by  whom,  or  in  whose  behalf,  the  applications  have  been 
made;  and  if  it  shall  appear  that  the  applicants  are  entitled  to  relief,  and  the  circumstances 
are  such  as  will  not  admit  of  the  delay  necessary  to  make  a  formal  report  thereof  to  the 
Society,  then  it  shall  be  lawful  for  them  to  make  a  donation  of  relief  of  a  sum  not  to  exceed 
ten  dollars,  or  towards  funeral  expenses  of  a  sum  not  to  exceed  forty  dollars,  in  each  case. 
And  it  shall  be  their  further  duty  to  report  to  the  Society,  at  its  next  meeting  thereafter,  the 
amount  of  every  such  donation,  with  the  names  and  circumstances  of  the  several  persons 
to  whom  and  in  whose  behalf  they  were  made. 

§  6.  The  office  for  the  quarterly  payment  of  the  pensioners  of  the  Society  shall  be  in 
some  appropriate  room  in  the  Mechanics'  Hall. 

§  7.  The  committee  shall  report  annually  in  the  month  of  January,  to  the  Society,  the 
names  of  the  persons  relieved,  and  the  amount  paid  to  each,  which  report  shall  be  read  in 
detail  whenever  so  made  to  the  Society. 

Article  X. — The  School  Committee. 

It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  School  Committee  to  take  charge  of,  and  generally  to 
superintend,  the  concerns  of  the  school,  to  judge  of  the  qualifications  of,  and  to  employ 
and  discharge  teachers  or  other  persons  engaged  in  it;  to  decide  upon  the  terms  of 
admission  into  it,  to  make  rules  and  regulations  for  its  government,  and  to  visit  it  at  least 
once  in  each  month. 

Article  XI. — The  Library  Committee. 

§  1.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Library  Committee  to  take  charge  of,  and  generally  to 
superintend  the  concerns  of  the  i\pprentices'  and  De  Milt  Libraries  and  Reading-rooms ; 
to  employ  and  discharge  Librarians ;  to  establish  rules  and  regulations  for  the  good 
government  of  the  Libraries  and  Reading-rooms. 

§  2  The  members  of  the  Society,  the  widows  and  minor  childr  a  of  deceased 
members,  and  the  teachers  in  its  schools,  shall  be  allowed  the  privileges  of  the  library, 
under  the  same  regulations  as  those  established  by  the  committee  for  apprentices.  The 
same  privileges  shall  also  be  extended  to  females  employed,  as  apprentices  or  otherwise, 
by  mechanics  or  tradesmen  in  their  business,  on  the  presentation  of  a  proper  certificate. 

Article  XII. — The  Literary  and  Scientific  Committee. 

Such  appropriations  as  may  be  made  to  the  Committee  for  Promoting  and  Dis- 
seminating Literary  and  Scientific  Knowledge,  shall  be  applied  by  that  committee  for 
promoting  and  disseminating  literary  and  scientific  knowledge,  for  the  procuring  apparatus, 
and  the  employing  suitable  persons  to  deliver  public  lectures,  or  for  imparting  knowledge 
by  such  other  modes  as  the  committee  shall  judge  most  suitable  to  promote  the  objects 
of  the  Society,  in  the  moral  and  intellectual  improvement  of  its  members,  and  those 
connected  with  its  School  and  Library. 


298 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


Article  XIII.— The  Library  Fund. 

§  1.  All  donations,  devises,  and  bequests  which  may  be  made  to  the  Society  for  the 
use,  maintenance  and  extension  of  the  Apprentices'  Library  and  Reading-rooms  (unless 
otherwise  directed  by  the  parties  making  them),  together  with  such  sum  or  sums  of  money, 
or  such  property  as  the  Society  may' from  time  to  time  designate  for  that  purpose,  shall 
constitute  a  separate  and  permanent  fund  for  the  said  purpose,  to  be  called  the  "  Library 
Fund  ";  and  the  interest  or  income  thereof,  alone,  shall  be  applied  for  the  use,  maintenance, 
and  extension  of  the  said  Library  and  Reading-rooms,  and  in  such  manner  as  may  from 
time  to  time  be  directed  by  a  vote  of  the  Society. 

§  2.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Finance  Committee  to  take  charge  of  said  fund,  and 
from  time  to  time,  as  they  may  be  directed  by  a  vote  of  the  Society,  invest  the  same,  and 
all  contributions  and  appropriations  therefor,  in  good  and  sufficient  security.  And  the 
interest  and  income  arising  therefrom  shall  be  drawn  annually  by  the  Treasurer  of  the 
Society,  and  appropriated  and  applied  for  the  use,  maintenance,  and  extension  of  the 
before-named  Library  and  Reading-rooms,  in  such  manner  as  may  from  time  to  time  be 
directed  by  a  vote  of  the  Society.  And  it  is  hereby  made  the  duty  of  the  aforesaid 
committee  to  lay  before  the  Society,  annually,  in  the  month  of  January  (or  oftener,  if  so 
required  to  do  by  a  vote  of  the  Society),  a  separate  and  exact  report  of  the  condition  of 
said  fund,  setting  forth,  in  a  particular  manner,  the  amount  thereof,  the  income  arising 
therefrom,  and  the  nature  of  the  securities  in  which  the  same  may  be  invested. 

§  3.  Subscribers  to  the  funds  of  the  said  Apprentices'  Library  and  Reading-rooms  to 
the  amount  of  twenty-five  dollars  at  one  tim'e,  shall  be  entitled  to  the  same  privileges  as 
members  of  this  Society  in  the  use  of  said  Library  and  Reading-rooms. 

Article  XIV. — Sale  of  Real  Estate. 

Whenever  a  resolution  to  sell  any  real  estate  belonging  to  the  Society  shall  be  moved, 
it  shall  lie  on  the  table  until  the  next  regular  meeting,  or  a  special  meeting,  should  such 
be  called;  and  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Secretary,  at  least  three  days  previous  to  said 
meeting,  to  send  to  each  member  residing  in  this  city  and  its  vicinity,  whose  place  of 
residence  he  can  ascertain,  a  written  or  printed  notice  that  such  resolution  has  been 
moved. 

Article  XV. —  Admission  and  Initiation. 

§  1 .  The  art  or  trade  of  every  person  proposed  as  a  member  of  this  Society  shall  be 
entered  by  the  Secretary  on  the  minutes  of  the  meeting  at  which  such  proposition  is  made ; 
and  the  Society  shall  in  no  case  proceed  to  ballot  for  such  person  as  a  member,  unless  four 
of  the  brothers  shall  have  previously  vouched  for  his  character  at  the  time  of  his  being 
proposed,  as  it  relates  to  industry,  honesty,  and  sobriety  ;  and  also  for  his  being  a  mechanic 
or  tradesman,  and  a  citizen  of  the  United  States.  The  votes  of  two-thirds  of  the  members 
present  at  any  meeting  of  the  Society  shall  be  necessary  for  his  admission. 

§  2.  Every  person  elected  a  member  of  this  Society  shall,  within  three  regular  meet- 
ings thereafter,  apply  for  the  purpose  of  being  initiated;  and  in  case  any  person  so  elected 
shall  neglect  to  apply  within  the  time  aforesaid,  his  election  shall,  by  such  neglect,  become 
void. 


MECHANICS  AND 


TRADESMEN 


§  3.  Every  person  admitted  a  member  of  this  Society  shall  pay  to  the  Treasurer, 
immediately  after  his  initiation,  the  sum  of  fifty  dollars. 

§  4.  All  persons  who  are  in  waiting  for  the  purpose  of  being  initiated  shall  be  regu- 
larly introduced  to  the  Society  by  two  brothers,-  previously  appointed  by  the  President  or 
presiding  officer  as  Masters  of  Ceremonies  for  that  evening.  The  Masters  of  Ceremonies, 
when  arrived  at  the  door  of  the  hall,  accompanied  by  the  person  or  persons  to  be  initiated, 
shall  give  notice  thereof  by  three  distinct  raps,  which  shall  be  answered  by  the  President 
with  two  strokes  of  his  hammer ;  the  brothers  at  the  same  time  will  rise,  while  the 
Masters  of  Ceremonies  shall  approach  the  chair,  and  present  the  newly  elected  member  or 
members.  The  presiding  officer  will  then  address  them  as  follows.  [To  be  spoken  in  the 
plural  or  singular,  as  the  case  may  require.] 

Fellow  Citizens  : 

In  accordance  with  our  usages,  you  have  been  elected  members  of  this  incorporation. 
This  is  the  result  of  the  testimonial  which  we  have  received  of  your  character.  Let 
sobriety,  industry,  and  integrity  continue  to  be  the  ornaments  of  your  names. 

To  relieve  the  unfortunate,  the  widow,  and  the  orphan,  was  the  primary  and 
commendable  object  of  the  founders  of  this  association.  Its  usefulness  has  since  been 
extended  by  the  establishment  of  a  Library  and  Reading-rooms,  with  a  school  for  the 
instruction  and  improvement  of  the  apprentices  of  our  city. 

It  is  expected  that  you  will  lend  your  aid  to  these  laudable  purposes,  and  promote, 
with  your  brethren,  the  honor  and  welfare  of  the  institution. 

We  welcome  you  as  brothers !  A  delightful  union,  where  the  bond  of  friendship  is 
benevolence. 

You  will  now  inscribe  your  names  on  the  general  register  of  the  Society,  in  whose 
behalf  I  tender  you  the  right  hand  of  fellowship. 

Article  XVI. — Rules  of  Order  to  be  observed  at  the  Meetings  of  this  Society. 

1.  On  the  appearance  of  a  quorum,  the  President  shall  take  the  chair,  and  call  the 
meeting  to  order. 

2.  The  minutes  of  the  preceding  meeting  shall  then  be  read  by  the  Secretary,  that  any 
mistakes  therein  may  be  corrected  by  the  Society. 

3.  When  the  Society  adjourns,  the  members  shall  keep  their  seats  until  the  President 
leaves  the  chair. 

4.  Every  member  wishing  to  speak  shall  rise  from  his  seat,  and  address  himself  to  the 
President. 

5.  When  two  or  more  members  rise  at  once,  the  President  shall  name  the  member 
who  is  entitled  to  the  floor. 

6.  No  member  shall  speak  more  than  twice  to  the  same  question,  until  he  shall  have 
obtained  leave  from  the  Society. 

7.  No  motion  shall  be  debated  or  put  unless  the  same  be  seconded.  When  a  motion 
is  seconded  it  shall  be  stated  by  the  President  before  debate,  and  every  such  motion  shall 
be  reduced  to  writing,  if  the  President  or  any  three  members  desire  it. 


30o 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


8.  After  a  motion  is  stated  by  the  President,  it  shall  be  deemed  to  be  in  possession  of 
the  Society,  but  may  be  withdrawn  at  any  time  before  decision  or  amendment. 

9.  When  a  question  is  under  debate  no  motion  shall  be  received,  but  to  adjourn,  to 
lie  on  the  table,  for  the  previous  question,  to  postpone,  to  commit  or  to  amend ;  which 
several  motions  shall  have  precedence  in  the  prder  they  stand  arranged ;  and  the  motion 
for  adjournment  shall  always  be  in  order,  and  decided  without  debate. 

10.  The  previous  question  shall  be  in  this  form  :  Shall  the  main  question  be  now  put  ? 
It  shall  only  be  admitted  when  demanded  by  a  majority  of  the  members  present,  and  its 
effect  shall  be  to  put  an  end  to  all  debate  and  bring  the  Society  to  a  direct  vote  upon 
amendments  reported  by  a  committee,  if  any.  upon  pending  amendments,  and  then  upon 
the  main  question. 

1 1.  Petitions,  memorials,  and  other  papers,  addressed  to  the  Society,  shall  be  presented 
by  the  President,  or  by  a  member  in  his  place. 

1 2.  While  the  President  is  putting  a  question,  no  member  shall  walk  out  of  or  across  the 
room ;  nor,  when  a  member  is  speaking,  shall  any  one  entertain  private  discourse,  or  pass 
between  him  and  the  chair. 

13.  Every  proposed  alteration  or  amendment  of  the  By-laws  shall  receive  three 
several  readings  previous  to  its  being  passed.  The  second  and  third  readings  shall  be  at 
different  meetings,  unless  the  Society  unanimously  direct  otherwise. 

14.  In  filling  up  blanks,  the  largest  sum  and  longest  time  shall  be  first  put. 

All  By-laws  of  the  Society  in  force  previous  to  this  date,  and  not  included  in  the 
sixteen  articles  now  adopted,  are  hereby  repealed. 

STANDING  RESOLUTION. 

The  Finance  Committee,  at  a  meeting  held  in  January,  i860,  in  pursuance  of  then 
recent  amendments  of  the  By-laws,  adopted  the  following  resolution,  which  was  reported 
to  the  Society  at  its  meeting  of  the  18th  of  the  same  month,  viz. : 

Resolved,  That  all  money  received  by  the  Treasurer,  for  and  on  account  of  this 
Society,  be  deposited  by  him  in  the  "  Mechanics'  Bank,"  in  the  name  of  the  Society,  and 
that  the  Chairman  request  the  President  of  the  Society  to  give  his  consent  to  said 
arrangement. 

The  President,  from  the  chair,  verbally  gave  his  consent  to  the  arrangement  of  the 
Finance  Committee  in  pursuance  of  the  By-laws. — See  Mix.  7.    Fol.  62. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


30I 


APPENDIX  O. 


AN  ACT 

To  amend  an  Act  entitled  "An  Act  to  renew  and  amend  an  Act  entitled  'An  Act  relative  to  the  General 
Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New-York,'  passed  April  first,  eighteen  hundred 
and  fifty-six."    Passed  March  4th,  1872. 

The  People  of  the  State  of  New- York,  represented  in  Senate  and  Assembly,  do  enact 
as  follows : 

§  1.  The  second  section  of  an  act,  entitled  "An  Act  to  renew  and  amend  an  Act 
entitled  '  An  Act  relative  to  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City 
of  New-York,'  passed  April  1st,  eighteen  hundred  and  fifty-six,"  is  hereby  amended  so  as 
to  read  as  follows:  "Sec.  2.  The  said  corporation  is  hereby  authorized  and  empowered 
to  hold  real  and  personal  estate  to  an  amount  which  shall  not,  at  any  one  time,  exceed 
in  value  the  sum  of  fifteen  hundred  thousand  dollars." 

§  2.  Any  citizen  of  the  United  States,  who  is  now  or  who  may  hereafter  become  a 
member  of  said  corporation,  shall  be  entitled  to  all  its  privileges,  and  be  eligible  to  any  of 
its  offices. 

§  3.  This  Act  shall  take  effect  immediately. 


APPENDIX  P, 


ADDRESS 

Delivered  by  Edwin  Dobbs,  Esq.,  President,  at  the  first  meeting  of  the  Society,  held  in  Mechanics'  Hall, 
No.  18  East  Sixteenth  street,  January  2d,  1878. 

When  the  delegates  from  the  thirteen  colonies  first  met  in  Congress,  and  resolved  that 

by  right  we  should  and  ought  to  be  a  free  and  independent  people,  that  marked  an  epoch 

in  the  history  of  the  Great  Republic ;  again,  when  rebellion  against  the  laws  of  our  country 

lifted  its  armed  hand,  a  million  of  freemen  arose  in  their  might,  and  swore  that  the  Union 
* 


302 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


must  and  shall  be  preserved,  and  rebellion  must  be  put  down,  whatever  the  consequences ; 
that  marked  an  epoch  in  our  country's  history ;  and  so  to-night  marks  an  epoch  in  the 
history  of  this  Society. 

A  long  while  ago,  as  measured  by  our  lives,  in  the  year  1785,  our  fathers  founded  or 
instituted  this  Society,  and  laid  deep  down  its  foundations  on  the  rock  of  benevolence,  and 
to-day  it  stands  as  a  monument  of  their  wisdom  and  goodness,  and  is  spreading  knowledge 
and  usefulness  all  over  our  city. 

But  this  is  not  the  subject  we  intend  to  discuss  to-night.  We  propose  to  speak  a  few- 
words  on  the  profession  we  represent — the  mechanic.  We  do  not  intend  to  discuss  the 
question  in  its  technical  sense  or  bearing,  but  in  its  practical  sense  ;  in  other  words,  as  we 
all  use  it  and  understand  it — to  construct. 

When  the  Creator  of  the  universe  first  called  our  planet  into  existence,  geologists  tell 
us  it  was  a  ball  of  burning  matter;  as  the  material  gradually  burned  out  from  exhaustion, 
the  surface  cooled  and  formed  a  crust  which  we  call  granite  rock,  and  which  marks  the 
first  epoch  in  its  history ;  from  thence,  until  the  alluvial  appears,  the  Divine  Architect,  and 
we  say  it  with  reverence,  for  he  planned  it,  and  by  mechanical  means  he  constructed  it, 
by  the  laws  which  he  made,  by  water,  by  fire,  and  the  decay  of  vegetable  and  animal 
matter,  until  he  had  fully  prepared  and  fitted  it  up  for  the  habitation  of  him  whom  he 
created  in  his  own  image,  and  endowed  with  reasoning  power,  the  last,  the  acme  of  his 
creation,  and  to  whom  every  living  thing  was  placed  in  subjection.  Now,  of  course,  we 
all  believe  that  God  could  have  called  from  naught  this  beautiful  globe  which  we  call 
earth,  but  he  chose  to  show  to  his  creatures,  by  his  laws,  which  we  call  Nature's  laws, 
guided  by  his  hand,  a  lesson  for  us  to  learn.  Have  you  ever  noticed  the  peculiar 
formation  of  our  own  city  ?  The  primitive  or  base  rock  on  which  a  part  of  our  island 
stands  belongs  to  the  earlier  creation.  The  rock  begins  about  Tenth  street,  on  the  back- 
bone of  the  island,  and  from  thence  runs  north  to  the  upper  end ;  all  below  the  first-men- 
tioned point  was  made  by  deposits  of  water,  granulated  stones,  softened  by  water,  and 
crushed  by  abrasion  and  ground  against  each  other,  the  product  of  which  we  call  sand. 
Now,  all  this  was  produced  by  mechanical  laws ;  and  so  we  might  go  on  and  exhaust  the 
little  time  we  have  left.    We  will  let  this  suffice  for  the  present. 

Have  you  ever  examined  the  human  body  stripped  of  its  natural  covering,  and  seen 
the  mechanical  skill  displayed  in  its  creation ;  the  numbers  of  little  nerves  so  sensitive  to 
the  touch,  the  little  veins  that  course  all  through  the  body,  the  great  arterial  rivers  that 
flow  to  all  parts  of  the  system,  the  tendons,  the  muscles  that  control  and  move  the  body, 
the  heart  which  pumps  about  twenty-eight  pounds  of  blood  every  one  and  three-quarter 
minutes,  and  throws  to  all  parts  of  the  body  the  life  of  man,  and  never  rests  for  a  moment 
till  death  ensues  ?  It  shows  the  wisdom  and  skill,  the  handiwork  of  his  Creator.  Truly, 
we  are  fearfully  and  wonderfully  made ;  and  turn  where  we  will,  we  cannot  close  our  eyes 
to  the  fact,  that  the  whole  creation,  whether  of  animate  or  inanimate  matter,  bears  on  its 
face  the  impress  of  a  great  and  good  Being,  who  formed  it  for  good,  wise,  and  holy  pur- 
poses. I  said  man  was  the  acme  of  creation,  because  he  was  endowed  with  reason,  and 
he  is  the  only  animal  born  into  the  world  without  covering,  showing  that,  endowed  as  he 
was,  it  was  decreed  that  he  should  make  use  of  the  reason  which  God  had  given  him,  and 
improve  the  privileges  which  surrounded  him.  * 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


303 


The  first  occupation  of  man  was  probably  agricultural,  and  the  implements  he  made 
use  of  were  of  wood,  to  break  up  and  till  the  soil,  probably  soon  followed  with  implements 
of  stone,  and  afterward  of  metal,  as  we  read.  Tubal  Cain  was  a  worker  in  this  material, 
the  first  mechanic  mentioned  in  history. 

As  the  population  of  the  earth  increased,  the  wants  of  the  people  increased,  and  we 
read  of  building  cities;  and  finally  Noah,  at  the  command  of  God,  built  the  ark.  Now, 
this  was  all  the  work  of  mechanics ;  all  the  progress  made  in  the  world,  during  the  first 
two  thousand  years  of  its  history,  as  given  by  Moses,  from  Adam  down,  was  through  the 
labor  and  skill  of  the  mechanic ;  and  we  think  we  do  not  arrogate  to  ourselves  too  much 
when  we  say  down  to  the  present  day. 

When  God  said  that  by  labor  man  should  earn  his  bread,  we  believe  it  was  a  blessing, 
instead  of  a  curse ;  for  it  is  only  by  the  use  of  the  powers  which  he  gave  us  are  we  enabled 
to  develop  the  organs  of  the  body.  If  we  do  not  use  our  limbs,  they  become  paralyzed ; 
if  our  mind  is  not  cultivated,  it  becomes  dull  and  stupid ;  if  the  soil  is  not  cultivated,  it 
brings  forth  weeds  ;  and  the  same  law  holds  good  all  over  the  universe. 

We  said,  a  few  moments  ago,  that  all  the  progress  made  in  the  world  was  made  by 
mechanics,  and  we  believe  it  true.  The  whole  world  is  filled  with  the  history  of  the  past, 
accumulated  by  the  industry  and  skill  of  the  mechanic  ;  the  mound-builders  of  the  West, 
the  ruins  of  Central  America  —  true,  many  of  them  rude  in  their  construction ;  but,  turn  to 
the  eastern  hemisphere,  and  see  the  ruins  of  temples,  even  yet  grand  in  their  ruin,  in 
Nineveh,  in  Egypt,  in  Greece,  in  Italy,  and  also  in  many  parts  of  Asia  j  and  to-day  are 
being  unearthed  the  evidences  of  the  skill  of  the  mechanic  of  the  past,  where  the  history 
of  nations  long  since  extinct  are  being  made  known  to  the  world  by  characters  written  in 
stone,  and  that  are  now  being  deciphered. 

Galileo,  who  discovered  that  the  earth  revolved  around  the  sun,  was  a  mechanic, 
afterward  an  astronomer.  Columbus  was  said  to  have  worked  at  a  mechanical  business, 
afterward  a  navigator.  Guttenberg  was  a  printer,  and  the  first  who  usefully  applied  it,  as 
also  its  inventor.  Fulton,  who  first  applied  steam  as  a  motive  power  on  water,  was  a 
mechanic.  Franklin,  who  brought  the  lightning  from  the  clouds,  was  a  mechanic. 
Stephenson,  who  made  the  iron-horse  that  moves  us  in  safety  fifty  miles  an  hour,  on  iron 
and  steel  rails,  was  a  mechanic ;  and  Morse,  who  was  the  first  to  apply  electricity  as  a 
printing  power,  we  believe  was  a  mechanic ;  and,  in  fact,  all  great  discoverers  of  anything 
useful  for  man  were  mechanics ;  and,  while  we  would  not  speak  disparagingly  of  the  fine 
arts,  for  they  have  done  a  great  deal  to  beautify  and  embellish,  and  make  life  pleasant,  at 
the  same  time,  for  all  things  that  make  life  agreeable,  no  art,  no  science,  no  literature, 
ever  has  or  ever  can  do  the  good  for  man  that  mechanism  has  done. 

Brothers,  are  you  not  proud  of  your  profession  ?  Has  any  other  profession  ever 
developed  anything  compared  to  ours  ?  Search  the  records  of  the  past.  History  is 
silent ;  nothing  found.  But  while  the  world  shall  last,  the  monuments  of  the  skill  of  the 
mechanic  will  stand,  until  the  voice  of  the  archangel  shall  be  heard  that  time  shall  be  no 
more. 

And  now,  brothers,  we  owe  a  duty  to  ourselves,  to  our  children,  to  the  young  men  of 
our  country  (Americans),  many  of  whom  have  been  falsely  educated.    Instead  of  giving 


304 


GENERAL 


SOCIETY 


O  F 


them  a  good  sound  English  education,  as  our  fathers  gave  us,  we  have  given  them  collegi- 
ate educations.  We  must  make  professors  of  law,  of  music,  of  physic,  of  surgery,  and  so 
on;  all  well  in  its  way,  but  let  us  make  mechanics  of  ours.  We  don't  need  any  free 
colleges  to  make  mechanics,  or  female  normal  schools  to  make  good  wives.  The  idea  has 
sprung  up  within  the  last  thirty  years  that  labor  is  not  honorable ;  our  boys  don't  wish  to 
learn  trades.  We  have  been  compelled  to  depend  upon  the  foreign  material,  and  hence 
the  combinations,  the  unions,  and  the  strikes,  etc.,  which  are  entirely  foreign  to  our 
country ;  for  here  we  are  all  sovereigns,  not  subjects,  and  every  man,  according  to  his  skill, 
in  ordinary  times,  is  able  to  obtain  employment,  and  receive  a  sufficient  remuneration  for 
his  services. 

We  should  thank  God,  and  take  fresh  courage,  that  we  are  mechanics ;  and  when  the 
time  has  arrived  for  us  to  take  our  departure,  we  may  look  back  over  the  past,  and  feel 
that  we  have  not  lived  in  vain  ;  that  we  have  left  an  heritage  to  our  children  that  labor  is 
honorable  and  the  hands  undefiled. 

And  in  the  words  of  the  motto  of  our  Society,  "  By  hammer  and  hand  all  arts  do 
stand." 

And  so  say  we. 


§  i.  All  meetings  of  this  Society  shall  be  held  at  Mechanics'  Hall.  The  annual 
meetings  shall  be  held  on  the  second  Tuesday  in  January,  at  3  o'clok  p.  m.;  and  regular 
meetings  shall  be  held  on  the  third  Wednesday  in  January,  and  the  first  Wednesdays  in 
February,  March,  April,  October,  November,  and  December,  at  half-past  seven  o'clock 
p.  m.,  and  on  the  first  Wednesdays  in  May,  June,  and  September,  at  8  o'clock  p.  m. 

§  2.  Twenty-five  members  shall  constitute  a  quorum  for  the  transaction  of  business. 

§  3.  Whenever  seven  members  shall  deem  it  expedient  to  have  a  special  meeting,  they 
shall  signify  the  same  in  writing  to  the  President,  specifying  the  purpose  thereof,  who  shall 
thereupon  direct  the  Secretary  to  call  such  special  meeting,  and  to  notify  the  members  of 
the  time  and  objects  of  said  meeting.  No  business  shall  be  considered  or  transacted  at  such 
meeting,  except  such  as  may  have  been  specified  in  said  call  and  in  the  notice  to  members. 

§  4.  When  the  first  Wednesday  in  any  month  occurs  on  a  legal  holiday,  the  meeting 
shall  take  place  on  the  Wednesday  following. 


APPENDIX 


BY-LAWS. 


Article  I. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


305 


Article  II. —  Elections. 

§  1.  At  the  regular  meeting  in  December,  or  as  soon  thereafter  as  may  be,  three 
members  shall  be  chosen  by  the  Society  as  inspectors  of  election,  to  receive,  canvass,  and 
estimate  the  votes  given  for  President,  Vice-President,  Second  Vice-President,  Treasurer, 
Secretary,  and  Collector,  at  the  next  annual  election. 

§  2.  When  a  quorum  of  members  are  present  on  the  day  of  the  annual  meeting,  the 
presiding  officer  shall,  between  the  hours  of  three  and  four  o'clock  p.  M.,  call  the  meeting  • 
to  order;  when,  after  transacting  the  ordinary  business  of  the  Society,  they  shall  proceed 
by  ballot  to  the  choice  of  officers  for  the  ensuing  year;  provided,  always,  should  it  at  any 
time  happen  that  a  quorum  of  members  be  not  present  at  of  before  four  o'clock  p.  m.,  the 
opening  of  the  poll  for  the  election  of  officers  shall  not  be  suspended  beyond  that  hour. 

§  3.  The  poll  for  election  shall  be  closed  at  seven  o'clock  p.  m.,  and  the  inspectors 
shall  give  notice  of  its  closing  at  least  fifteen  minutes  preceding.  Immediately  on  closing 
the  poll  they  shall  proceed  to  canvass  the  votes,  and  on  completing  the  same,  shall  certify 
over  their  signatures  the  persons  having  the  greatest  number  of  votes ;  which  certificate, 
provided  a  quorum  of  members  be  present,  shall  forthwith  be  reported  to  the  Society; 
and  upon  it  appearing  by  such  certificate  that  the  balloting  has  resulted  in  a  lawful  choice 
of  officers  of  the  Society  for  the  ensuing  year,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Society  to  forth- 
with proceed  to  the  installation  of  the  several  officers  elect,  in  the  following  order  and 
manner,  to  wit : 

1.  The  President. 

2.  The  Vice-President  and  Second  Vice-President. 

3.  The  Treasurer  and  Secretary. 

4.  All  other  officers-elect  who  may  be  present. 

The  installation  ceremonies  shall  be  conducted  by  the  presiding  officer,  assisted  by  at 
least  two  ex-presidents  or  other  members  of  the  Society,  whom  he  shall  appoint  for  said 
purpose,  and  shall  consist  of — 

1.  Presentation  of  the  officer  or  officers-elect  to  the  installing  officer  by  his  aids. 

2.  Announcement  by  the  presiding  officer  of  the  duties  and  resp^  isibilities  con- 
nected with  the  position  to  which  the  brother  awaiting  installation  has  been  chosen. 

3.  Acceptance  of  the  official  position,  with  its  duties  and  responsibilities,  by  the 
officer-elect. 

4.  Imposition  by  the  presiding  officer  of  the  obligations  of  the  position  upon  the 
officer-elect,  and  also  his  investment  with  the  powers  appertaining  thereto. 

5.  Formal  declaration  by  the  presiding  officer  of  the  installation  of  the  brother  into 
his  official  position,  and  escort  of  the  installed  officer  to  his  chair  by  the  aids  of  installation. 

During  the  installation  ceremonies  the  brothers  will  stand,  and  no  brother  will  enter 
or  leave  the  hall.  Upon  the  conclusion  of  the  installation  of  all  the  officers-elect  who 
may  be  present,  the  installing  officer  will  vacate  the  chair,  surrender  the  gavel  to  the  newly 
installed  President,  and  present  him  to  the  assembled  brothers. 

In  the  event  of  a  quorum  of  members  not  being  present  on  the  completion  of  the 
canvass  of  the  election,  then  the  certificate  of  the  inspectors  shall  be  deposited  with  the 
Secretary,  and  registered  on  the  minutes. 


306 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


§  4.  Special  elections,  for  filling  vacancies,  shall  be  held  in  the  same  manner,  at  a 
regular  meeting  of  the  Society,  not  more  than  two  regular  meetings  after  such  vacancies 
shall  have  occurred,  and  the  presiding  officer  shall  direct  the  Secretary  to  notify  the  mem- 
bers thereof  at  least  one  week  previous  to  the  time  of  such  election. 

Article  III. — The  President  and  Vice-Presidents. 

§  i.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  President  to  preside  at  all  meetings  of  the  Society; 
to  preserve  order,  and  decide  all  questions,  subject,  however,  to  an  appeal  to  the  Society. 
He  shall  not  vote  on  any  question  unless  the  Society  be  equally  divided. 

§  2.  In  case  of  the  absence  of  the  President,  the  Vice-President  shall  preside,  and 
perform  the  duties  of  the  President ;  and  in  case  of  the  absence  of  both  the  President  and 
the  Vice-President,  the  Second  Vice-President  shall  in  like  manner  preside,  and  perform 
the  said  duties;  and  in  the  event  of  all  the  said  officers  being  absent,  the  Society  shall 
appoint  a  President  pro  tempore,  who  shall  perform  all  the  duties  incident  to  the  office. 

§  3.  The  President  of  the  Society  shall  be  ex-officio  a  member  of  the  School  Com- 
mittee, and  of  the  Committee  for  Promoting  and  Disseminating  Literary  and  Scientific 
Knowledge;  the  Vice-President  ex-officio  a  member  of  the  Library  Committee  j  and  the 
Second  Vice-President  ex-officio  a  member  of  the  Finance  Committee. 

§  4.  The  President  is  authorized  and  empowered  to  vote  in  the  name  of  the  Society 
on  any  corporate  stock  owned  or  held  by  it,  at  all  elections  for  Trustees  or  Directors  of 
any  such  corporation. 

Article  IV. — The  Treasurer. 

§  1.  Before  the  Treasurer  enters  upon  the  duties  of  his  office,  he  shall  annually  give  a 
bond  to  the  Society,  with  two  approved  sureties,  in  a  sum  not  less  than  twenty  thousand 
dollars,  for  the  faithful  performance  of  the  trust  reposed  in  him,  which  bond  shall  be 
deposited  with  the  Finance  Committee. 

§  2.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Treasurer  to  receive  and  safely  keep,  in  such  manner 
as  shall  be  directed  by  the  Society,  all  deeds,  mortgages,  or  any  titles  to  property  belonging 
to  the  Society ;  also,  certificates  of  stock,  bonds,  and  all  other  evidences  of  debt,  as  may 
be  received  for  the  benefit  of  the  Society;  to  collect  the  rents,  the  interest  of  any  money 
secured  by  bond  and  mortgage,  the  dividends  on  the  stock  held  by  the  Society,  the  initia- 
tion fees,  and  generally  all  moneys  owing  to  the  Society,  the  collection  of  which  is  not 
otherwise  provided  for. 

§  3.  All  moneys  received  by  the  Treasurer  for  or  on  account  of  the  Society  shall  be 
deposited  by  him  in  the  name  of  the  Society,  with  his  signature  and  that  of  the  President, 
in  such  bank  or  Trust  Company  as  may  be  designated  for  that  purpose  by  the  Finance 
Committee,  with  the  approval,  in  writing,  of  the  President  of  the  Society ;  provided, 
always,  that  the  Society  may  at  any  time  instruct  said  committee  and  President,  or 
otherwise  direct  them  relative  thereto. 

§  4.  The  Treasurer  shall  pay  quarterly  the  salaries  of  the  Secretary,  Treasurer,  and 
Door-keeper,  also  all  bills  that  may  be  ordered  paid  by  the  Society,  and  all  specific  orders 
drawn  on  him  in  pursuance  of  any  resolution  of  the  Society,  and  likewise  pay  out  of  their 
respective  annual  appropriations  all  drafts  issued  and  all  bills  incurred  for  legitimate 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


307 


expenditures  by  the  several  standing  committees,  upon  being  presented  to  him,  duly 
certified  by  the  Chairman  and  Secretary  of  the  committee.  But  no  money  of  the  Society 
shall  be  drawn  from  any  bank  or  trust  company  in  which  the  same  may  be  deposited, 
except  on  a  check  signed  by  him  as  Treasurer,  and  countersigned  by  the  President  of  the 
Society,  said  check  being  made  payable  to  the  order  of  the  person  or  persons  to  whom  it 
is  to  be  paid. 

§  5.  He  shall  keep,  in  suitable  books,  separate  accounts  with  every  piece  of  property, 
and  with  all  stock  and  other  securities  owned  by  the  Society,  with  every  committee  or  fund, 
and  with  every  individual  or  firm  that  may  be  at  any  time  indebted  to  the  Society.  Said 
accounts  shall  be  written  up  and  posted  on  or  before  every  quarterly  meeting  of  the 
Society.  Said  books  shall  be  kept  in  the  safe  of  the  Society,  at  Mechanics'  Hall,  and  shall 
at  all  suitable  times  be  accessible  to  any  officer  of  the  Society,  and  to  the  Chairman  of  each 
of  the  standing  committees.  He  shall  be  ex-ojficio  a  member  of  the  Finance  Committee, 
and  also  ex-officio  a  member  and  the  Treasurer  of  the  Building  and  Sinking  Fund  Committee. 

§  6.  He  shall  report  at  the  annual  meeting  in  the  month  of  January,  and  quarterly 
thereafter  at  regular  meetings,  the  amounts  paid  on  account  of  the  several  standing 
committees,  the  state  of  the  finances  and  funds,  and  subjoin  his  own  account  thereto,  for 
the  inspection  of  the  members.  He  shall  report  at  the  annual  meeting  in  January  a  full 
account  of  all  moneys  received  and  disbursed  by  him,  from  all  sources  and  for  what 
purposes,  from  the  first  day  of  January  to  the  thirty-first  day  of  December,  inclusive,  of  the 
year  preceding,  with  a  statement  of  the  financial  condition  of  the  Society;  and  for  his 
services  he  shall  be  allowed  a  compensation  of  five  hundred  dollars  per  annum,  payable 
quarterly. 

§  7.  The  Society  shall  appoint  annually,  at  the  regular  meeting  in  December,  a 
committee  of  three  members,  as  an  Auditing  Committee  for  the  ensuing  year,  to  examine 
the  books  of  the  Treasurer  and  Secretary  respectively,  also  all  deeds,  bonds,  certificates  of 
stock,  and  other  evidences  of  debt  in  their  possession  and  belonging  to  the  Society,  who  shall 
report  the  result  at  the  next  annual  meeting  of  the  society;  also  all  reports,  with  the 
accompanying  vouchers,  from  any  officer  or  committee  pertaining  to  the  receipt  or  dis- 
bursement of  moneys,  shall  be  referred  to  said  committee  for  examination  and  report 
thereon. 

§  8.  When  a  new  Treasurer  is  chosen,  his  predecessor  in  office  shall  be  allowed  twenty 
days  to  adjust  and  settle  his  accounts,  and  other  matters  appertaining  to  the  duties  of  his 
office. 

In  the  absence  of  the  Treasurer,  the  presiding  officer  shall  appoint  a  Treasurer  pro 
tempore. 

Article  V. —  The  Secretary. 

§  1.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Secretary  to  attend  every  meeting  of  the  Society,  and 
in  his  absence  or  inability  to  act,  the  presiding  officer  shall  appoint  one  of  the  members  to 
officiate  as  Secretary  pro  tempore. 

He  shall  keep  minutes  of  all  proceedings,  and  correctly  record  the  same  in  a  book 
provided  for  the  purpose. 


308 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


He  shall  also  record  copies  of  all  reports  made  to  the  Society,  in  a  book  provided  for 
that  purpose;  and  shall  file  and  number  all  original  papers,  resolutions,  and  other 
documents. 

He  shall  also  keep  a  book  wherein  each  member's  name  and  occupation  shall  be 
inserted,  in  such  order  and  manner  that  it  will  appear  when  admitted,  expelled,  died,  or 
withdrawn,  which  book  shall  be  the  General  Register  of  the  Society. 

He  shall  notify,  without  delay,  each  person  elected  a  member  of  the  Society  of  such 
election  ;  and  on  the  election  of  any  member  to  an  office,  shall  give  him  due  notice 
thereof. 

When  any  committee  has  been  appointed,  he  shall  furnish  to  the  member  first  named 
thereon  a  written  list  of  the  names  of  the  several  members  appointed  to  constitute  the 
same,  and  a  copy  of  the  resolution  or  subject  referred  to  them. 

When  a  motion  is  made  and  seconded,  he  shall  record  the  name  of  the  member  by 
whom  it  is  made. 

He  shall  cause  due  notice  to  be  given  to  the  members  of  all  the  meetings  of  the 
Society  in  such  manner  as  the  Society  may  direct. 

He  shall  be  allowed  for  his  services  five  hundred  dollars  per  annum,  payable 
quarterly.  ■ 

§  2.  The  seal  of  the  Society  shall  be  kept  by  the  Secretary,  and  used  for  the  purpose 
of  sealing  all  certificates  of  admission,  and  such  other  papers  as  the  Society  may  direct,  by 
resolution,  to  be  executed  under  their  seal. 

§  3.  The  plate  for  the  certificates  of  membership  shall  be  kept  by  the  Secretary,  and 
each  member  shall  be  entitled  to  a  certificate,  dated  from  the  time  of  his  initiation,  on  the 
payment  of  one  dollar  to  the  Secretary,  to  be  by  him  paid  to  the  Treasurer. 

§  4.  All  books,  reports,  documents,  papers,  &c,  appertaining  to  the  office  and  duty  of 
Secretary,  shall  be  kept  by  him  in  the  safe  of  the  Society,  and  shall  not  be  taken  from  his 
possession  ;  but  any  member  may,  at  all  suitable  times,  have  liberty  to  examine  and  make 
extracts  from  them  at  the  place  where  they  are  kept. 

Article  VI. — The  Door-keeper. 

A  Door-keeper  shall  be  appointed  by  the  President,  who  shall  attend  all  the  meetings 
of  the  Society,  and  during  the  session  shall  permit  no  persons,  except  members,  to  enter 
the  meeting-room  without  the  consent  of  the  presiding  officer ;  and  he  shall  receive  for  his 
services  two  dollars  for  each  meeting  of  the  Society  which  he  attends. 

Article  VII. — Standing  Committees. 

§  1.  The  Standing  Committees  of  the  Society  shall  be  a  Finance  Committee,  a  Com- 
mittee on  Pensions,  a  School  Committee,  a  Library  Committee,  a  Committee  for  Promoting 
and  Disseminating  Literary  and  Scientific  Knowledge,  and  a  Building  and  Sinking  Fund 
Committee. 

§  2.  No  member  shall  serve  on  more  than  one  of  the  Standing  Committees  at  the 
same  time,  except  as  provided  in  these  by-laws. 


MECHANICS     AND     TRADESMEN.  3O9 

§  3.  The  President  (or,  in  his  absence,  the  officer  presiding)  shall,  at  the  annual 
meeting  of  the  Society,  nominate,  and,  with  the  consent  of  the  Society,  appoint  five 
members  to  constitute  the  Finance  Committee ;  eight  to  constitute  the  Committee  on 
Pensions;  twelve  to  constitute  the  School  Committee ;  twelve  to  constitute  the  Library 
Committee  ;  twelve  to  constitute  the  Committee  for  Promoting  and  Disseminating  Literary 
and  Scientific  Knowledge,  and  four  to  constitute  the  Building  and  Sinking  Fund  Com- 
mittee; all  of  whom  shall  serve  one  year,  and  until  others  are  appointed  in  their  places. 

§  4.  At  the  regular  meeting  in  January  of  each  year,  or  if,  from  any  cause,  such  meet- 
ing should  not  be  held,  then  at  the  next  meeting  thereafter,  appropriations  for  the  current 
year  shall  be  made  of  such  sums  as  may  then  be  deemed  sufficient  for  the  payment  of  their 
legitimate  and  authorized  expenditures,  and  within  the  means  of  the  Treasury,  for  the 
Finance  Committee,  the  Committee  on  Pensions,  the  School  Committee,  the  Library 
Committee,  the  Committee  for  Promoting  and  Disseminating  Literary  and  Scientific 
Knowledge,  and  the  Building  and  Sinking  Fund  Committee,  which  amounts  so  appropri- 
ated shall  be  set  apart,  and  so  much  thereof  as  may  be  necessary,  used  by  the  Treasurer 
for  the  payment  of  the  bills  received  by  him  from  the  respective  several  Standing  Commit- 
tees entitled  to  such  appropriations. 

§  5.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Finance  Committee,  the  Committee  on  Pensions,  the 
School  Committee,  the  Library  Committee,  the  Committee  for  Promoting  and  Disseminat- 
ing Literary  and  Scientific  Knowledge,  and  the  Building  and  Sinking  Fund  Committee, 
and  they  are  hereby  required,  to  report  to  the  Society,  at  the  annual  meeting  in  January, 
and  quarterly  thereafter,  an  account  of  their  receipts  and  expenditures  during  the  pre- 
ceding quarter. 

Said  committees  shall  also  severally  make,  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Society 
in  January,  a  full  report  of  their  receipts  and  expenditures,  and  of  their  transactions 
during  the  year  ending  on  the  31st  day  of  December  preceding,  stating  therein  the  actual 
condition  of  their  respective  departments,  and  all  such  matters  as  may  be  necessary  to 
enable  the  Society  to  form  an  accurate  judgment  of  the  results  of  their  operations.  Said 
annual  reports,  or  a  copy  thereof,  together  with  a  copy  of  the  annual  report  of  the 
Treasurer,  shall  be  referred  to  the  Finance  Committee,  which  committee  shall  prepare  and 
report  to  the  Society,  at  the  regular  meeting  next  ensuing,  a  statement  of  the  financial 
condition  of  the  Society,  with  estimates  of  the  probable  receipts  into  and  demands  upon 
the  Treasury  during  the  ensuing  year ;  and  shall  also  embody  in  said  statement  such  of  the 
matters  from  the  annual  reports  of  the  several  committees  as  they  may  deem  suitable  for 
publication.    Said  statement  shall  be  printed  for  the  use  of  the  members. 

§  6.  All  moneys  received  by  any  officer,  committee,  or  member,  for  or  on  account  of 
the  Society,  shall  be  forthwith  paid  to  the  Treasurer  of  the  Society,  taking  his  receipt 
therefor. 

Article  VIII. — The  Finance  Committee. 

The  Finance  Committee  shall  take  charge  of  all  buildings  and  lands  belonging  to 
the  Society,  and  shall  appropriate,  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  Society,  so  much  of 
Mechanics'  Hall  to  each  of  the  several  Standing  Committees  as  may  be  necessary  for 
the  proper  discharge  of  their  respective  duties  and  trusts.    They  shall  cause  the  property 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


of  the  Society  to  be  properly  insured,  and  direct  and  superintend  all  ordinary  repairs 
and  inexpensive  necessary  alterations  thereto,  and  shall  report  such  extraordinary  repairs 
and  improvements  as  they  may  deem  expedient  to  be  made,  with  estimates  of  the  expense 
thereof,  and,  when  approved  by  the  Society,  they  shall  direct  and  superintend  the  same. 

They  shall  procure  all  necessary  supplies  for  the  general  use  of  the  Society,  and  for  the 
heating,  lighting,  and  cleaning  of  Mechanics'  Hall,  and  shall  audit  all  bills  incurred  for 
their  legitimate  and  necessary  expenses,  transmitting  the  same,  duly  certified,  to  the 
Treasurer  of  the  Society  for  payment. 

Article  IX. — The  Committee  on  Pensions. 

§  i.  All  applications  made  to  this  Society  for  relief,  either  personally  or  by  petition, 
shall  be  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Pensions. 

It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  said  committee  to  inquire  into  the  circumstances  of  every 
member,  or  of  the  widow,  orphan,  or  orphans  of  any  deceased  member  who  may  apply  for 

assistance. 

§  2.  Whenever  it  shall  appear  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  committee  that  the  situation 
or  circumstances  of  any  member  who  has  applied  for  relief  is  such  that  he  will  require 
assistance  more  than  one  year,  or  during  his  natural  life,  it  shall  be  their  duty  to  report 
to  the  Society,  for  its  concurrence,  a  specific  sum,  which,  in  their  opinion,  ought  to  be 
granted  as  a  yearly  pension  to  such  member ;  which  pension,  if  concurred  in  by  the 
Society,  shall  be  paid  by  them  in  the  same  manner  and  at  the  same  periods  that  other 
pensions  are  paid. 

They  shall  register  in  a  book,  to  be  kept  for  that  purpose,  the  names  of  the  pen- 
sioners and  the  names  and  ages  of  their  children,  and  shall  pay  at  stated  periods  their 
pensions  as  herein  provided. 

§  3.  The  widow,  orphan,  or  orphans  of  any  member,  being  in  indigent  circumstances, 
shall  be  entitled  to  receive  assistance  agreeably  to  the  following  regulations : 

1.  All  widows  on  the  pension  list  shall  be  allowed  fifty-two  dollars  per  annum,  so 
long  as,  in  the  judgment  of  the  committee,  or  of  the  Society,  their  circumstances  are  such 
as  to  require  the  aid  of  the  Society. 

2.  All  widows,  being  pensioners,  and  having  children  under  the  age  of  fourteen  years, 
shall  be  allowed  the  sum  of  twenty  dollars  per  annum  for  each  child ;  which  allowance 
may  be  continued,  if  deemed  necessary  by  the  committee,  although  the  widow  may  have 
again  married. 

3.  When  a  child,  whose  mother  is  on  the  pension  list,  shall  arrive  at  the  age  of 
fourteen  years,  the  pension  of  the  widow  for  such  child  shall  cease. 

4.  Every  child  having  no  parents  living,  and  who  shall  be  entered  on  the  pension 
list,  shall  be  allowed  the  sum  of  forty  dollars  per  annum,  until  it  shall  arrive  at  the  age 
of  fourteen  years ;  the  said  money  to  be  paid  to  the  guardian  of  the  child,  or  such  other 
person  as  the  committee  shall  approve. 

5.  No  arrearages  of  pensions  shall  be  paid  for  a  longer  period  than  one  year. 

§  4.  The  Committee  on  Pensions  shall  investigate  and  report  thereon,  at  least  once 
in  each  year,  into  the  circumstances  of  the  several  pensioners  of  the  Society,  in  order 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


that  they  may  obtain  a  knowledge  whether  they  are  proper  objects  of  its  bounty,  and 
should  so  continue. 

§  5.  When,  during  the  recess  of  the  Society,  applications  are  made  to  the  committee, 
by  pensioners  or  others,  either  for  relief  or  for  funeral  expenses  of  a  deceased  brother,  his 
widow,  or  orphan  children  under  fourteen  years  of  age ;  or  when  such  applications  have 
been  referred  to  them,  it  shall  be  their  duty  to  make  careful  investigation  of  the  circum- 
stances of  the  person  or  persons  by  whom,  or  in  whose  behalf  the  applications  have  been 
made;  and  if  it  shall  appear  that  the  applicants  are  entitled  to  relief,  and  the  circumstances 
are  such  as  will  not  admit  of  the  delay  necessary  to  make  a  formal  report  thereof  to  the 
Society,  then  it  shall  be  lawful  for  them  to  make  a  donation  of  relief  of  a  sum  not  to  exceed 
twenty  dollars  in  any  month  for  each  cas%,  or  toward  funeral  expenses  of  a  sum  not  to 
exceed  one  hundred  dollars  in  each  case.  And  it  shall  be  their  further  duty  to  report  to 
the  Society,  at  its  next  meeting  thereafter,  the  amount  of  every  such  donation,  with  the 
names  and  circumstances  of  the  several  persons  to  whom  and  in  whose  behalf  they  were 
made. 

§  6.  The  office  for  the  quarterly  payment  of  the  pensioners  of  the  Society  shall  be  in 
some  appropriate  room  in  Mechanics'  Hall. 

§  7.  The  committee  shall  report,  at  the  annual  meeting,  to  the  Society  the  names  of 
all  persons  relieved,  and  the  amount  paid  to  each,  which  report  shall  be  read  in  detail 
whenever  so  made  to  the  Society. 

§  8.  The  committee  will  transmit  to  the  Treasurer  of  the  Society  for  payment  all  bills 
incurred  by  them,  duly  audited  and  certified  to  by  their  Chairman  and  Secretary. 

Article  X. — The  School  Committee. 

§  1.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  School  Committee  to  take  charge  of,  and  to  superin- 
tend the  interests  of  the  school ;  to  judge  the  qualifications  of,  and  to  employ  and  dis- 
charge teachers  or  other  persons  therein  engaged ;  to  make  rules  and  regulations  for  the 
admission  of  scholars  and  the  government  of  the  school,  and  to  cause  the  school  to  be 
visited  at  each  session  by  one  or  more  members  of  the  committee. 

§  2.  Members  of  the  Society,  minor  children  of  members,  or  of  deceased  members, 
apprentices,  journeymen  mechanics,  artisans,  females  employed  at  any  legitimate  business, 
and  unemployed  persons  under  sixteen  years  of  age,  shall  be  entitled  to  the  gratuitous 
privileges  of  the  school,  under  such  rules  and  regulations  as  may  be  established  by  the 
committee,  and  approved  by  the  Society. 

§  3.  All  bills  for  expenditures  incurred  by  the  committee  shall  be  duly  audited  and 
certified  to  by  the  Chairman  and  Secretary,  and  transmitted  to  the  Treasurer  of  the 
Society  for  payment. 

Article  XI. — The  Library  Committee. 

§  1.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Library  Committee  to  take  charge  of,  and  to  superin- 
tend, the  Apprentices'  and  De  Milt  Libraries  and  the  Reading  Rooms,  and  to  establish 
rules  and  regulations  for  the  government  thereof ;  to  employ  and  discharge  the  Librarian 
and  other  persons  therein  engaged;  to  supply  the  Libraries  and  Reading  Rooms  with  such 


312 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


publications  as  may  be  deemed  suitable,  also  the  necessary  stationery,  printing,  and  binding 
within  the  amount  of  their  appropriation,  and  to  visit  the  Libraries  and  Reading  Rooms 
each  day  when  open,  by  one  or  more  of  its  members. 

§  2.  The  members  of  the  Society,  their  wives,  and  their  minor  children,  the  widows 
and  minor  children  of  deceased  members,  persons  under  twenty-one  years  of  age  employed 
as  apprentices,  journeymen  mechanics,  artisans,  teachers  employed  in  the  schools  of  the 
Society,  males  under  sixteen  years  of  age  employed  at  any  legitimate  business,  and  all 
females  likewise  so  employed,  shall  be  entitled  to  the  free  privileges  of  the  Library  and 
Reading  Rooms,  under  such  rules  and  regulations  as  may  be  established  by  the  committee 
and  approved  by  the  Society. 

§  3.  The  committee  will  transmit  to  the  Treasurer  of  the  Society,  for  payment,  all  bills 
incurred  by  it,  duly  audited  and  certified  to  by  the  Chairman  and  Secretary. 

Article  XII. — The  Literary  and  Scientific  Committee. 

§  1.  Such  appropriations  as  may  be  made  to  the  Committee  for  Promoting  and  Dis- 
seminating Literary  and  Scientific  Knowledge,  shall  be  applied  by  the  committee  for  the 
procuring  of  suitable  persons  to  deliver  lectures  or  readings,  or  for  imparting  knowledge  by 
such  other  modes  as  the  committee  shall  judge  most  suitable  to  promote  the  objects  of  the 
Society  in  the  moral  and  intellectual  improvement  of  its  members  and  their  families. 

§  2.  All  bills  incurred  by  the  committee  shall  be  duly  audited,  and  transmitted  to  the 
Treasurer  of  the  Society  for  payment,  certified  to  by  the  Chairman  and  Secretary. 

Article  XIII. — Building  and  Sinking  Fund  Committee. 

It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Building  and  Sinking  Fund  Committee  to  receive  all 
appropriations,  donations,  or  bequests  to  the  Building  and  Sinking  Fund  that  may  be 
made  by  the  Society,  its  members,  or  other  persons,  securely  and  promptly  investing  the 
same  in  the  name  and  subject  to  the  order  of  the  Society,  in  such  manner  and  in  such 
securities  as  the  Society  may  direct  or  approve,  stating  in  detail  in  their  quarterly  and 
annual  reports  the  amount  of  such  fund,  the  manner  of  its  investment,  and  any  receipts  or 
disbursements  on  account  thereof  since  the  previous  report. 

Article  XIV. — The  Library  Fund. 

§  1.  All  donations,  devises,  and  bequests  which  may  be  made  to  the  Society  for  the 
use,  maintenance,  and  extension  of  the  Apprentices'  Library  and  Reading  Rooms  (unless 
otherwise  directed  by  the  parties  making  them),  together  with  such  sum  or  sums  of  money, 
or  such  property  as  the  Society  may  from  time  to  time  designate  for  that  purpose,  shall 
constitute  a  separate  and  permanent  fund  for  the  said  purposes,  to  be  called  the  "  Library 
Fund  " ;  and  the  interest  or  income  thereof,  alone,  shall  be  applied  for  the  use,  maintenance, 
and  extension  of  the  said  Library  and  Reading  Rooms,  and  in  such  manner  as  may  from 
time  to  time  be  directed  by  a  vote  of  the  Society. 

§  2.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Treasurer  to  take  charge  of  said  fund,  and  from  time 
to  time,  as  he  may  be  directed  by  a  vote  of  the  Society,  invest  the  same,  and  all  contribu- 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


313 


tions  and  appropriations  therefor,  in  good  and  sufficient  security.  And  the  interest  and 
income  arising  therefrom  shall  be  drawn  annually  by  him,  and  appropriated  and  applied 
for  the  use,  maintenance,  and  extension  of  the  before-named  Library  and  Reading  Rooms,  in 
such  manner  as  may  from  to  time  be  directed  by  a  vote  of  the  Society.  And  it  is 
hereby  made  his  duty  to  lay  before  the  Society,  at  the  annual  meeting  (or  oftener,  if  so  re- 
quired to  do  by  a  vote  of  the  Society),  a  separate  and  exact  report  of  the  condition  of  said 
fund,  setting  forth,  in  a  particular  manner,  the  amount  thereof,  the  income  arising  there- 
from, and  the  nature  of  the  securities  in  which  the  same  may  be  invested. 

Article  XV. — Transfer  of  Real  or  Personal  Estate. 

Whenever  a  resolution'  to  sell,  mortgage,  or  lease  any  real  estate  belonging  to  the 
Society,  or  to  sell  or  transfer  any  of  its  personal  property  (exceeding  in  value  the  sum  of 
five  thousand  dollars),  shall  be  regularly  brought  before  the  Society,  it  shall  lie  on  the 
table  until  the  next  regular  meeting,  or  a  special  meeting,  should  such  be  called ;  and  it 
shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Secretary,  at  least  three  days  previous  to  said  meeting,  to  send  to 
each  member,  whose  place  of  residence  he  can  ascertain,  a  written  or  printed  notice  that 
such  resolution  has  been  moved. 

Article  XVI. —  Removal  of  Officers  and  Members  of  Committees. 

Any  officer  of  the  Society,  or  member  of  any  committee,  who  willfully  or  persistently 
neglects  to  perform  or  discharge  the  duties  appertaining  to  his  position,  or,  while  acting  as 
such  officer  or  member  of  committee,  shall  be  guilty  of  conduct  disgraceful  or  unbecoming 
to  his  position,  or  disreputable  to  his  associates  or  the  Society,  may  be  removed  as  such 
officer  or  member  of  committee  by  a  three-fourths  vote  of  the  members  present  at  any 
regular  meeting  of  the  Society,  provided  charges  duly  specifying  the  offense  alleged 
against  the  officer  or  member  of  committee  shall  be  preferred  in  writing  by  one  or  more 
members  of  the  Society,  at  a  regular  meeting  thereof,  a  copy  of  which  charges  shall  be 
served  upon  the  officer  or  member  of  committee  so  charged,  at  least  twelve  days  previous 
to  the  Society  taking  any  action  thereon  providing  for  his  removal,  and  which  shall  be 
done  only  after  an  opportunity  for  defense  has  been  afforded  the  officer  or  member  of 
committee  so  charged. 

Article  XVII. — Admission  and  Initiation. 

§  1.  The  art  or  trade  of  every  person  proposed  as  a  member  of  this  Society  shall  be 
entered  by  the  Secretary  on  the  minutes  of  the  meeting  at  which  such  proposition  is 
made ;  all  propositions  for  membership  shall  be  made  at  a  regular  meeting,  and  balloted 
for  at  the  next  regular  meeting;  and  the  Society  shall  in  no  case  proceed  to  ballot  for 
such  person  as  a  member  unless  four  brothers  shall  have  previously  vouched  for  his" 
character  at  the  time  of  his  being  proposed,  as  it  relates  to  industry,  honesty,  and  sobriety ; 
and  also  for  his  being  a  mechanic  or  tradesman,  and  a  citizen  of  the  United  States.  The 
votes  of  two-thirds  of  the  members  present  at  any  meeting  of  the  Society  shall  be  necessary 
for  his  admission. 


3H 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


§  2.  Every  person  elected  a  member  of  this  Society  shall,  within  three  regular  meet- 
ings thereafter,  apply  for  the  purpose  of  being  initiated;  and  in  case  any  person  so  elected 
shall  neglect  to  apply  within  the  time  aforesaid,  his  election  shall,  by  such  neglect, become 
void. 

§  3.  Every  person  admitted  a  member  of  this  Society  shall  pay  to  the  Treasurer, 
upon  his  initiation,  the  sum  of  fifty  dollars,  and  affix  his  signature  to  the  General  Register 

of  the  Society. 

§  4.  All  persons  who  are  in  waiting  for  the  purpose  of  being  initiated  shall  be  intro- 
duced to  the  Society  by  two  brothers,  previously  appointed  by  the  President  or  presiding 
officer  as  masters  of  ceremonies  for  that  evening.  The  masters  of  ceremonies  will  announce 
their  approach  at  the  door  of  the  hall  by  three  distinct  raps,  which  shall  be  answered  by 
the  President  with  two  strokes  of  his  gavel ;  the  brothers  will  thereupon  rise,  while  the 
masters  of  ceremonies  present  the  member  or  members  elect  to  the  presiding  officer  for 
initiation,  who  will  then  address  them  as  follows : 

"  Fellow  Citizens  : 

"  In  accordance  with  our  charier  you  have  been  elected  a  member  of  this  incorpora- 
tion, the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New-York.  This  is 
the  result  of  the  testimonial  which  we  have  received  of  your  character.  Let  sobriety, 
industry,  and  integrity  continue  to  be  the  ornaments  of  your  name. 

"  To  relieve  the  unfortunate,  the  widow,  and  the  orphan,  was  the  primary  and  com- 
mendable object  of  the  founders  of  this  association.  Its  usefulness  has  since  been  extended 
by  the  establishment  of  a  library  and  reading-rooms,  with  a  school  for  the  instruction  and 
improvement  of  the  apprentices  and  others  of  our  city. 

"It  is  expected  that  you  will  lend  your  aid  to  these  laudable  purposes,  and  promote, 
with  your  brethren,  the  honor  and  welfare  of  the  institution. 

"  We  welcome  you  as  a  brother!  A  delightful  union,  where  the  bond  of  friendship  is 
benevolence. 

"  You  will  now  inscribe  your  name  on  the  General  Register  of  the  Society,  in  whose 
behalf  I  tender  you  the  right  hand  of  fellowship." 

Article  XVIII. 

These  by-laws,  or  any  part  thereof,  may  be  suspended  at  any  regular  meeting  of  the 
Society  by  the  unanimous  consent  of  the  members  present,  but  such  suspension  shall  not 
continue  in  force  beyond  the  commencement  of  the  next  regular  meeting ;  they  may  also 
be  altered,  amended,  or  repealed  at  any  regular  meeting  of  the  Society,  provided  that  two- 
thirds  of  the  members  present  vote  in  favor  thereof,  and  provided  also  that  such  proposed 
alterations,  amendments,  or  repeal  have  been  duly  proposed  in  writing  at  a  previous  regu- 
lar meeting,  and  have  had  three  readings  before  the  Society,  the  second  and  third  readings 
of  which  shall  be  at  different  meetings. 

All  previous  by-laws  of  the  Society  are  hereby  repealed. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


315 


Order  of  Business  and  Rules  of  Order  to  be  observed  at  the  meetings  of  the  Society. 

1.  The  President  shall  take  the  chair  at  the  appointed  time,  and  call  the  meeting  to 
order,  and,  a  quorum  being  present,  the  business  shall  proceed  in  the  following  order : 

1.  Reading  the  minutes. 

2.  Reading  of  communications  to  the  Society. 

3.  Balloting  for  members. 

4.  Proposition  of  candidates. 

5.  Reports  from  the  Treasurer. 

6.  Reports  from  the  Secretary. 

7.  Reports  from  Standing  Committees. 

8.  Reports  from  Special  Committees. 

9.  Initiation  of  members. 

10.  Unfinished  business. 

11.  Motions  for  the  benefit  of  the  Society. 

2.  Every  member  wishing  to  speak  shall  rise  from  his  seat  and  address  himself  to  the 
President. 

3.  When  two  or  more  members  rise  at  once,  the  President  shall  name  the  member 
who  is  entitled  to  the  floor. 

4.  No  member  shall  speak  more  than  twice  to  the  same  question,  if  objected  to, 
unless  he  shall  have  obtained  permission  from  the  Society. 

5.  No  motion  shall  be  debated  or  put  unless  the  same  be  seconded.  When  a  motion 
in  seconded  it  shall  be  stated  by  the  President  before  debate,  and  every  such  motion  shall 
be  reduced  to  writing,  if  the  President  or  any  member  desire  it. 

6.  All  reports  from  committees  shall  be  in  writing,  and  signed  by  the  Chairman  and 
Secretary  thereof,  but  nothing  herein  shall  prevent  a  minority  of  a  committee  from  pre- 
senting a  report,  which  may  be  read  and  considered  after  the  majority  report  has  been 
read. 

7.  After  a  motion  is  stated  by  the  President,  it  shall  be  in  possession  of  the  Society ; 
but  may  be  withdrawn,  by  consent  of  the  Society,  at  any  time  before  decision  or  amend- 
ment. 

8.  When  a  question  is  under  debate  no  motion  shall  be  received  but  to  adjourn,  to 
lie  on  the  table,  the  previous  question,  to  postpone,  to  commit,  or  to  amend ;  which 
several  motions  shall  have  precedence  in  the  order  here  specified.  The  motion  for  adjourn- 
ment shall  always  be  in  order,  and  decided  without  debate. 

9.  The  previous  question  shall  be  in  this  form :  Shall  the  main  question  be  now  put  ? 
It  shall  be  admitted  only  when  demanded  by  five  or  more  of  the  members  present,  and  its 
effect  shall  be  to  put  an  end  to  all  debate,  and  bring  the  Society  to  a  direct  vote  upon 
amendments  reported  by  a  committee,  if  any,  upon  pending  amendments,  and  then  upon 
the  main  question. 

10.  Petitions,  memorials,  and  other  papers  addressed  to  the  Society,  shall  be  presented 
by  the  President,  or  by  any  member. 


3l6  GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 

1 1.  While  the  President  is  putting  a  question  no  member  shall  walk  out  of,  or  across, 
the  room ;  nor  when  a  member  is  speaking  shall  any  one  entertain  private  discourse,  or 
pass  between  him  and  the  Chair. 

12.  In  filling  up  blanks,  the  largest  sum  and  the  longest  time  shall  be  first  put. 


APPENDIX  R, 


INAUGURAL  ADDRESS  OF  PRESIDENT  JOHN  P.  MOORE. 

January  12th,  1847. 

Brothers  :  I  feel  at  a  loss  for  words  adequate  to  the  expression  of  my  feelings  to  you 
for  the  many  favors  I  have  received  and  the  renewed  manifestation  of  your  confidence  in 
me,  but  sincerely  do  I  thank  you. 

In  contemplating  the  history  of  our  Society,  its  rise  and  progress,  we  have  cause  to 
be  proud  of  the  elevated  position  to  which  it  has  attained.  It  should  be  our  endeavor 
to  preserve  its  present,  and,  as  far  as  practicable,  promote  its  future  usefulness. 

"  To  us  much  as  has  been  given, 
Of  us  much  will  be  required." 

I  would,  therefore,  respectfully  call  your  attention  to  our  present  large  indebtedness. 
By  the  Treasurer's  last  quarterly  report  our  debt  amounts  to  $26,500  ;  the  interest  on  this 
sum  is  $1,590,  which,  in  any  event,  must  be  provided  for.  A  part  of  this  debt  was 
incurred  during  the  past  year  for  the  purchase  of  the  property  on  Broadway,  to  afford  us 
an  entrance  from  that  street  to  our  lecture-room  and  school.  We  have  also  altered, 
enlarged,  and  added  to  our  rooms,  and  now  we  have  ample  accommodation  for  all  our 
present  wants.  At  our  last  anniversary  it  was  truly  remarked  that  we  have  many  and 
important  interests  confided  to  our  care ;  to  relieve  the  necessities  of  our  unfortunate 
brothers,  the  widow,  and  the  orphan,  is  our  primary  duty  ;  the  next  in  importance  is  our 
duty  to  our  school  and  library. 

Brothers,  I  would  wish  now  to  see  our  funds  so  managed  that  a  part  of  our  income 
might  be  applied  annually  either  toward  a  sinking  fund,  or  in  part  payment  of  our  debt, 
that  we  may  hereafter  be  the  better  enabled  to  add  to  the  comforts  of  our  poor,  to  raise  the 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


317 


standard  of  learning  in  our  school,  affording  the  advantage  of  a  thorough  education,  at  a 
cheaper  rate  to  the  children  of  members,  and  to  the  increase  of  our  library  and  the 
extension  of  its  sphere  of  usefulness. 

I  have  deemed  it  my  duty  at  this  time  to  call  your  attention  to  our  condition,  in 
order  that  your  wisdom  may  be  directed  as  to  the  best  method  by  which  our  debt  may  be 
liquidated. 

It  also  appears  to  me  to  be  necessary  that  a  change  should  be  made  in  the  time  at 
which  our  annual  reports  from  committees  are  received ;  say  in  the  month  of  January, 
instead  of  February ;  that  they  then  be  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Finance,  or  to  a 
special  committee  to  examine  and  report  the  state  of  our  funds,  and  what  amount,  in  their 
opinion  (with  a  view  to  a  wise  economy  in  our  expenditures  and  the  payment  of  our 
debt),  should  be  appropriated  for  the  uses  of  the  year. 

I  offer  these  suggestions  for  your  consideration,  indulging  the  hope  that  the  various 
trusts  confided  to  us  may  be  transmitted  to  our  successors  in  an  improved  condition,  or  at 
least  unimpaired. 

Brothers,  I  shall  endeavor  to  discharge  my  duties  to  meet  the  approbation  of  my 
conscience  and  your  approval.  Should  I,  at  any  time,  fail  to  meet  your  just  expectations, 
I  assure  you  it  will  be  through  an  error  of  judgment,  and  not  of  intention. 


INAUGURAL  ADDRESS  OF  PRESIDENT  EARLE. 

Delivered  February  4TH,  1857. 

With  your  permission  I  will  now  call  your  attention  to  the  present  state  of  our 
association,  and  also  take  the  liberty  of  offering  a  few  suggestions,  which,  if  adopted,  will, 
in  my  opinion,  be  beneficial  to  our  interests,  and  enable  us  to  enlarge  our  sphere  of 
usefulness. 

From  the  annual  reports  of  our  committees  we  cannot  but  congratulate  ourselves  that 
our  Society,  in  a  financial  point  of  view,  is  all  that  any  of  us  could  ha\  e  hoped  for.  Our 
property  has  enhanced  in  value  until  we  find  ourselves  in  the  possession  of  a  capital  of  at 
least  $250,000,  —  a  large  sum, — the  income  from  which,  if  properly  managed,  may  be 
productive  of  much  good. 

And  while  the  amount  of  our  capital  has  increased,  the  number  of  inhabitants  of  the 
city  has  also  largely  increased;  so  that  to-day  we  are  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  community 
of  nearly  three-quarters  of  a  million  of  people,  of  which  the  working-classes  form  a  large 
majority. 

It  is  true  that  the  number  of  our  members  has  not  increased  in  proportion  to  the  - 
increase  of  the  number  of  mechanics  around  us,  and  certainly  not  to  the  extent  that  we 
had  reason  to  expect,  in  view  of  the  benefits  to  be  derived  from  membership  with  us. 
This  subject,  I  hope,  will  receive  your  attention,  and  such  consideration  as  you  may  think 
its  importance  demands.    Allow  me  also  to  state,  that  although  our  increase  has  been 


3i8 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


small,  yet  we  register  a  long  list  of  names,  good  men  in  the  community,  whose  reputation 
for  ability  and  energy  is  such  as,  if  called  into  action,  would  enable  this  Society  to  take  a 
high  stand,  and  extend  its  usefulness  to  a  degree  more  commensurate  with  its  means  and 
the  wants  of  the  mechanic  interests. 

Some  of  our  brothers  have,  indeed,  bestowed  much  time  and  labor,  and  shown  much 
interest  and  ability,  in  furthering  the  objects  of  our  Society,  and  they  deserve  our  thanks 
as  well  as  the  thanks  of  the  community;  it  would  be  well  if  the  same  spirit  that  actuates 
them  could  be  generally  diffused  among  us. 

The  Society,  through  the  Committee  on  Pensions,  continue  in  their  good  work  :  the 
calls  made  by  the  unfortunate,  in  their  affliction,  are  never  made  in  vain,  and  the  committee 
stand  ready  to  hear  and  respond,  knowing  that  the  Society  have  the  ability  and  the  will 
fully  to  carry  out,  in  a  liberal  spirit,  this  important  feature  of  our  association. 

From  the  report  of  our  School  Committee  it  will  be  seen  that,  from  combined  causes, 
the  number  of  pupils  in  our  school,  and  of  course  the  amount  of  receipts  for  tuition,  has 
considerably  diminished;  and  the  committee  lay  this  important  matter  before  the  Society 
for  its  serious  consideration.  For  many  years  we  have  pointed  to  this  school  with  peculiar 
satisfaction,  as  one  of  the  means  by  which  we  have  done  good.  There  the  children  of  the 
rich  and  the  poor  meet  together  and  upon  equal  terms — the  child  of  the  poor  or  deceased 
brother  takes  his  place  in  the  same  class,  with  the  same  privileges,  and  contends  for  the 
same  premiums  as  the  child  of  the  most  favored  among  us;  not  as  a  charity  scholar,  but 
with  uplifted  head,  in  the  enjoyment  of  his  rights,  as  the  child  of  a  brother  in  the  Mechan- 
ics' Society  —  a.  beautiful  feature  in  the  management  of  our  school,  admired  by  all.  Many 
a  one  has  there  received  an  excellent  education,  which  is  now  carrying  him  with  honor  and 
profit  through  the  world. 

I  would  also  advert  to  the  fact  that  a  large  number  of  members  of  the  Society, 
myself  among  the  number,  have  been  enabled  to  educate  our  children  in  this  school  on 
very  favorable  terms.  An  excellent  education  is  there  secured  for  them  ;  with  the  com- 
fortable reflection  to  us,  that  although  reverses  may  overtake  us,  yet  the  school  is  still 
there,  and  our  children  can  enjoy  all  its  benefits.  I  know  that  you  will  give  this  subject 
your  careful  attention,  and  cannot  but  hope  that  you  will  be  able  to  adopt  such  measures 
as  will  place  the  school  in  a  satisfactory  position. 

It  is  certainly  very  desirable  that  the  school  should  pay  its  way  —  by  this  I  mean  that 
its  receipts  for  tuition  should  pay  all  its  expenditures.  If  it  does  this,  it  is  of  great  benefit 
to  us — it  educates  our  children,  helps  us  to  carry  out  the  objects  of  our  association,  and 
gives  us  a  position  in  the  community  that  we  could  not  have  without  it.  If  it  does  cost 
us  something — that  is,  if  the  receipts  do  not  equal  the  expenditures — it  is  only  in  the 
same  position  as  the  other  departments  of  our  Society.  All  will  be  right  if  we  can  only 
realize  that  we  are  fulfilling  our  mission.  Let  us  endeavor  to  make  it  emphatically  a 
school  for  the  children  of  mechanics,  and  of  so  high  an  order  that  it  will  commend  itself 
to  the  whole  community. 

It  has  been  said,  that  since  the  Free  Academy  has  been  in  operation,  it  has  had  an 
effect  unfavorable  to  our  school.  It  is  required  of  those  asking  admission  to  that  institu- 
tion that  they  should  have  been  pupils  in  a  ward  school  for  at  least  one  year  previous  to 


MECHANICS     AND     TRADESMEN.  3I9 

making  that  application.  Now,  it  seems  to  me  that  that  part  of  the  law  should  apply  to 
our  school,  so  far  as  our  gratuitous  scholars  are  concerned.  And  if  it  does  not  already, 
that  an  application  to  the  Legislature  would,  without  doubt,  procure  such  an  enactment 
as  would  place  those  scholars  upon  an  equal  footing  with  those  taught  in  the  ward  schools. 
Besides,  the  Society  has  two  scholarships  in  Columbia  College,  and  four  in  the  New- York 
University ;  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  we  can  procure  scholarships  enough  in  those  two 
institutions  to  enable  us  to  hold  out  as  great  inducements  to  our  boys  as  the  ward  schools 
possibly  can  to  theirs.  Let  it  be  known  that  a  boy  in  our  school,  by  good  conduct  and 
application  to  his  studies,  can  insure  himself  an  education  in  Columbia  College  or  the 
New-York  University,  and  it  will  be  seen  that  the  Mechanics'  Society's  school  in  that 
respect  will  stand  in  a  better  position  than  even  the  ward  schools. 

But  you  must  let  it  be  known  far  and  wide.  Everybody  knows  the  relation  of  the 
ward  schools  to  the  Free  Academy ;  let  everybody  know  all  the  advantages  to  be  derived 
from  a  connection  with  our  school.  A  second-rate  school  will  not  sustain  itself.  If  our 
school  is  not  of  the  very  highest  order,  let  us  make  it  so.  Let  us  have  the  very  best 
teachers  that  the  country  affords — we  will  be  compelled  to  pay  thejjrice — but  it  seems  to 
me  that  we  can  safely  do  so,  if  we  can  obtain  those  whose  character  and  reputation  will 
guarantee  success. 

The  Apprentices'  Library,  with  its  reading-room,  is  in  good  order  and  successful 
operation ;  it  is  very  desirable,  however,  that  the  number  of  its  readers  should  be  increased, 
for  we  all  know  that  its  benefits  are  participated  in  by  a  very  small  proportion  of  those  for 
whom  it  was  intended.  The  influence  of  that  library  should  be  felt  in  every  workshop  in 
this  city.  And  here  allow  me  to  call  your  attention  to  a  class  of  operatives  for  whom  no 
provision  of  this  kind  has  ever  been  made  —  I  allude  to  the  large  number  of  females 
engaged  in  the  various  employments  connected  with  the  mechanic  and  manufacturing 
interests  of  our  city.  We  can,  at  very  little  expense,  provide  the  means  of  intellectual 
improvement  to  them,  and  it  is  very  desirable  that  we  should  do  so.  I  am  satisfied  that  it 
is  clearly  within  the  legitimate  objects  of  our  association,  and  do  not  hesitate  to  recom- 
mend that  our  library  be  at  once  thrown  open  to  female  operatives,  upon  the  same 
conditions  as  it  now  is  to  apprentices.  I  hold  in  my  hand  the  Report  of  the  Apprentices' 
Library  Company  of  Philadelphia,  for  the  year  ending  March  13th,  1855.  I  suppose  that 
there  was  one  published  since,  but  I  have  not  seen  it.  Both  boys  and  girls  have  access 
to  that  library,  and  the  report  states  that  the  number  of  volumes  is  about  15,700. 

Of  books  loaned  during  the  year,  to  1,750  boys,       ....  21,942 
"  "  "  1,791  girls,       ....  24,163 

Total,  46,105  volumes  to  3,541  readers. 

The  report  also  says :  "  Especially  is  it  gratifying  to  us  to  inform  the  Company,  and 
the  friends  of  the  library  everywhere,  that  the  girls'  department  continues  fully  to  realize 
the  most  sanguine  anticipations  of  its  founders ;  the  number  of  this  interesting  class  of  our 
readers  continues  to  increase,  while  their  deportment  gives  unmistakable  evidence  of  the 
value  they  place  upon  their  privileges."    It  appears  to  me  that  any  argument  that  can  be 


320 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


advanced  in  favor  of  providing  the  means  of  intellectual  improvement  to  boys  applies  with 
equal  force  in  favor  of  the  same  provision  for  girls.  I  ask  you  to  refer  this  matter  to  the 
appropriate  committee. 

The  Demilt  Library,  bequeathed  to  us  by  Brother  Demilt,  and  enlarged  and 
improved  by  the  bequests  of  his  two  sisters,  has  not  yet  been  as  productive  as  the 
benevolent  donors  anticipated.  Knowing  the  liberality  of  our  deceased  brother,  we 
hazard  nothing  in  saying  that  if  he  had  known  the  effect  of  the  proviso,  "  that  it 
should  forever  be  a  pay  library,"  that  clause  would  never  have  been  inserted  in  his  will. 
The  Society,  through  the  Library  Committee,  has  used  its  endeavors  to  make  this  library 
available,  but  those  endeavors  have  thus  far  proved  unsuccessful.  The  catalogue  of 
books  which  it  now  presents  is  a  very  valuable  one.  It  is  true  that  there  is  very  little  of 
light  literature  on  its  shelves,  and  therefore  might  not  be  very  attractive  to  many  readers ; 
but  to  the  mechanic,  to  the  student,  to  the  searcher  after  knowledge,  it  cannot  but  be 
highly  prized.  This  department  of  our  library  should  be  better  known,  and  I  am 
satisfied  that  there  are  numbers  in  our  city  who  would  hail  with  joy  the  information 
that  such  a  library  exists,  and  that  they  can  have  access  to  it. 

Our  Literary  and  Scientific  Committee  continues  to  furnish  the  annual  course  of 
popular  lectures;  and,  so  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  ascertain,  they  have  proved 
instructive  and  entertaining  to  those  who  have  been  able  to  listen  to  them.  I  would, 
however,  ask  whether  an  improvement  would  not  result  from  opening  a  correspondence 
much  earlier  in  the  year  than  has  been  customary,  say  as  early  as  the  month  of  April, 
with  men  of  talent,  in  order  that  lectures  may  be  procured  upon  such  subjects  as  the 
committee  might  deem  most  profitable  to  us,  and  most  in  accordance  with  the  objects  of 
our  institution.  A  course  of  lectures  in  each  year,  on  subjects  connected  with  science  and 
the  mechanic  arts,  for  the  benefit  of  the  readers  of  the  library  and  the  larger  scholars  of 
the  school,  would  certainly  prove  beneficial. 

Some  of  the  members  of  the  Society  have  suggested  the  propriety  of  our  establishing 
classes  for  the  instruction  of  apprentices,  journeymen,  and  others,  in  those  branches  of 
science  best  adapted  to  enable  them  to  rise  in  the  several  occupations  toward  which  they 
have  chosen  to  direct  their  energies  and  attention.  I  fully  concur  with  those  brothers 
that  this  is  a  subject  well  worthy  the  attention  of  the  Society.  It  is  within  our  appro- 
priate sphere,  and  its  object  is  to  instruct  the  mind  and  elevate  the  character  of  the 
working-man.  We  might  have  classes  in  Natural  Philosophy,  Mathematics,  Drawing 
(particularly  Architectural  and  Mechanical  Drawing),  Chemistry,  Surveying,  the  first 
principles  of  Book-keeping,  and  perhaps  some  others.  I  am  satisfied  that  if  this  subject 
is  taken  hold  of  with  energy  we  will  be  fully  repaid  for  all  the  time,  labor,  and  money 
it  will  cost,  in  the  benefits  that  will  be  enjoyed  by  those  who  participate;  and  that  it 
will  prove  a  source  of  great  satisfaction  to  the  whole  Society,  and  of  advantage  to  the 
community. 

In  connection  with  these  classes,  the  Demilt  Library  may  be  brought  into  requisition. 
Many  of  the  books  already  there  would  be  very  valuable  to  the  members  of  those  classes, 
and  render  them  much  assistance  in  the  prosecution  of  their  studies ;  and  such  other  works 
can,  from  time  to  time,  be  added  as  would  be  desirable  for  those  classes.  And  in  this 
way  that  library  would  be  made  a  valuable  auxiliary  to  the  Society's  operations. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


321 


We  should  use  means  to  make  our  institution  better  known.  It  is  almost  lost  and 
forgotten  in  this  great  city.  We  should  publish  ourselves  more;  let  every  mechanic's 
shop,  every  manufactory,  and  every  warehouse,  through  the  medium  of  circulars,  etc., 
know  that  there  is  a  Spciety,  with  its  school,  its  library,  and  its  lectures,  accessible  to 
almost  every  one ;  that  its  objects  are  to  inform  the  mind  and  elevate  the  characters  of  the 
working-classes,  and  that  it  has  the  ability  to  carry  out  its  objects.  I  would  make  this 
Society  the  grand  rallying-point  for  the  workers  of  the  community.  I  would*  have  every 
working-man  feel  that  he  has  an  interest  here ;  and,  in  order  to  carry  out  this  idea,  I 
would  suggest  that  a  committee  be  appointed  to  prepare  and  publish  a  pamphlet, 
setting  forth  our  position,  our  objects,  and  the  advantages  to  be  derived  from  membership 
with  us. 

A  committee  have  now  in  charge  the  selection  of  a  new  location  for  a  hall.  They 
have  presented  several  lots  to  the  Society  for  its  consideration  ;  and  at  the  last  meeting 
the  Society  requested  the  committee  to  ascertain  whether  the  lot  on  Broadway,  adjoining 
this  property,  can  be  obtained,  and  if  so,  at  what  price.  J  suppose  we  will  all  agree  that 
this  Society  should  build  a  hall,  such  as  the  mechanics  of  the  city  can  point  to  with 
pleasure, —  a  substantial  building,  correct  in  its  architectural  proportions,  well  suited  to  the 
uses  to  which  it  is  dedicated,  and  worthy  of  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Trades- 
men of  the  City  of  New- York.  But  where  shall  it  be  located  ?  That  is  a  question  which, 
it  appears  to  me,  will  require  all  the  wisdom  we  possess  to  answer  satisfactorily.  Where 
is  the  best  spot  for  us  to  locate,  in  order  to'carry  out  the  objects  of  the  association?  The 
most  central,  the  most  accessible,  and  the  most  convenient  for  those  for  whom  it  is 
designed.  We  should  also  have  an  eye  to  a  profitable  investment,  if  we  purchase  lots; 
but  that  should  be  only  a  secondary  consideration.  Our  first  and  highest  aim  should  be 
to  benefit  our  Society  now  —  the  working-classes  now.  Some  of  our  brothers  think  we 
should  go  to  the  upper  part  of  the  city,  so  fast  being  built  up  for  residences,  that  it  will 
soon  be,  and  in  fact  already  is,  difficult  to  obtain  six  or  eight  lots  together  in  any  desirable 
location,  and  that  the  rise  in  the  value  of  property  will  certainly  make  it  a  profitable 
investment.  Others  think  that,  for  the  present,  Fourteenth  street  is  the  utmost  limit  we 
should  think  of ;  while  others  again  are  of  the  opinion  that  the  very  heart  of  the  city,  as 
well  as  the  very  center  of  workshops,  manufactories,  and  the  residences  of  mechanics,  is  in 
Broadway,  between  Canal  and  Bleecker  streets;  in  other  words,  that  our  present  location 
is  the  very  best  we  can  have.  They  think  that  no  other  can  unite  all  the  advantages  of 
this,  especially  when  we  take  into  consideration  the  various  departments  of  our  Society. 
Now,  in  view  of  these  differences  of  opinion,  it  appears  to  me  that  we  should  decide,  first 
of  all,  for  what  purposes  we  want  a  building ;  what  accommodations  does  the  School 
Committee  require ;  the  Library  Committee ;  the  Literary  and  Scientific  Committee,  and 
what  other  rooms  are  needed ;  and  then  procure  plans,  to  enable  us  to  ascertain  whether 
such  a  building  can  be  erected  here ;  and,  if  it  is  thought  desirable  to  remove  from  here, 
what  should  be  the  shape  and  size  of  such  a  lot  as  we  require.  Something,  also,  should  be 
inquired  about  the  cost  of  such  building  in  this  and  other  locations  ;  whether  it  is  desirable 
to  purchase  a  corner  lot,  at  the  larger  price,  and  also  how  much  more  it  would  cost  to 
erect  a  building  on  a  corner  than  in  the  block ;  and  also  any  other  information  that  may 
be  necessary  for  us,  in  order  that  we  may  act  judiciously  in  the  matter.    If  you  think  well 


322 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


of  this  suggestion,  I  trust  that  you  will  refer  it  to  the  committee  already  appointed,  or  to 
some  other,  in  order  that  we  may  have  all  the  light  possible  before  we  take  any  action 
upon  the  subject. 

There  is  an  error  into  which  we,  as  a  Society,  are  very  likely  to  fall.  It  arises  from 
the  circumstances  in  which  we  have  all  been  placed  —  an  old  habit  that  fits  us  very  closely 
—  we  have  been  compelled  to  put  it  on  and  wear  it  all  our  business  lives.  I  allude  to  the 
ever-recurring  questions,  Will  our  outlays  bring  a  good  return  in  interest  ? — Will  they  bring 
a  profitable  return  in  dollars  and  cents?  In  business  we  work  for  an  object  —  it  is  to 
maintain  ourselves  and  make  money.  In  our  Society  we  also  have  an  object  in  view, 
which  is  to  do  good,  and  for  that  we  work.  Our  motto  must  not  be,  "  Our  constant  care 
is  to  increase  our  store."  I  grant  it  that  in  making  an  investment  we  should  be  careful 
that  our  capital  is  not  diminished,  and  that  we  should  have  an  eye  to  the  investment  being 
a  profitable  one.  All  our  outlays  should  be  judicious,  and  made  with  the  utmost  care, 
that  the  property  intrusted  to  us  is  strictly  guarded  from  waste,  and  that  it  is  made  to 
yield  as  much  as  possible ;  but  I  do  not  think  it  well  that  this  Society  should  add  any  of 
its  income  to  its  capital.  No,  I  would  be  careful  to  keep  the  capital  safe  and  entire,  but 
would,  with  all  care,  prudence,  and  good  management,  spend  the  income,  every  dollar  of 
it,  for  the  benefit  of  our  Society  and  the  advancement  of  its  legitimate  objects.  And 
looking  at  the  amount  of  our  capital,  at  the  ability  and  energy  our  members  possess,  at 
the  wants  of  the  community  all  around  us, —  yes,  looking  from  every  point  of  view  at  the 
position  in  which  Providence  has  placed  us, —  I  feel  warranted  in  saying,  and  am  sure  that 
you  will  agree  with  me  when  I  do  say,  the  mission  of  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics 
and  Tradesmen  is  to  all  the  working-classes ;  and  that  it  is  our  duty  and  our  privilege,  if 
we  will  only  embrace  it,  to  extend  the  means  to  benefit  and  bless  every  individual  of  the 
industrial,  working  portion  of  the  community  around  us. 


INAUGURAL  ADDRESS  OF  PRESIDENT  IRA  HUTCHINSON. 

Delivered  February  3D,  1S58. 

Following  the  example  of  my  respected  predecessors,  and  in  accordance  with  a  sense 
of  obligation,  I  shall  attempt  to  express  my  views  in  relation  to  our  duties  as  members  of  an 
educational  and  benevolent  institution  ;  and  present  also  for  your  consideration  such  sug- 
gestions as  I  deem  most  essential  for  the  maintenance,  perfection,  and  perpetuation  of  the 
great  principles  which  form  the  basis  and  objects  of  this  Association  —  that  of  aiding 
and  protecting  the  mechanic,  rendering  assistance  to  his  widow  and  orphans,  educating 
the  children  of  members  (freely,  when  the  necessity  requires),  and  promoting  and  diffusing 
literary  and  scientific  knowledge  among  the  industrial  classes,  especially  among  the 
apprentices  of  mechanics  in  the  city  of  New-York. 

Concerning  the  details  of  these  praiseworthy  objects  but  little  need  be  said,  as  you 
are  all  familiar  with  their  operations,  and  know  well  the  great  good  already  accom- 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


323 


plished  through  the  influence  and  perseverance  of  this  Society.  But  I  feel  it  incumbent 
upon  me  to  call  your  attention,  particularly,  to  the  great  importance  of  adopting  some  plan 
that  will  give  to  the  apprentice  a  more  thorough  mechanical  knowledge  in  connection  with 
art  and  science,  with  special  reference  to  the  elevation  of  the  industrial  classes  to  a  position 
higher  in  the  estimation  of  mankind. 

The  rising  generation  require  our  united  efforts  in  behalf  of  their  morals  and  in  behalf 
of  their  industrial  qualifications ;  for  they  are  soon  to  take  our  places  in  all  the  relations 
of  life,  and  upon  their  education  and  development  depends  the  future  of  this  noble 
institution,  and  upon  them  will  depend  the  future  of  this  glorious  country. 

The  progress  of  philanthropy  in  our  city,  in  the  formation  of  benevolent  and  literary 
associations,  and  the  great  munificence  of  one  of  our  members,  in  the  erection  and  dedica- 
tion of  the  splendid  edifice  known  as  the  Cooper  Institute,  to  art  and  science,  together  with 
the  large  increase  in  libraries  and  reading-rooms  (far  surpassing  our  own),  on  plans  exten- 
sive and  truly  magnificent,  and  the  establishment  of  public  free  schools  in  our  midst,  are, 
altogether,  comprising  enterprise  and  efforts  which  render  our  feeble  enterprises  compara- 
tively insignificant  and  ineffectual ! 

To  maintain  our  acquired  high  position  and  influence  against  such  powerful  combina- 
tions, efforts,  and  liberalities,  it  will  require  all  our  energies,  ingenuity,  talents,  and  means : 
especially  if  we  desire  still  to  bear  the  palm  that  has  so  long  crowned  the  success  of 
this  Society. 

There  is  no  disguising  the  fact  that  others  have  entered  the  field  in  which  this  Society 
has  so  long  labored  with  honor  and  praise,  and  that  they  are  working  it  on  a  more 
extensive  and  gigantic  scale. 

This,  however,  should  not  intimidate  us,  nor  retard  our  efforts,  although  it  may  seem 
to  conflict  with  the  plans  which  have  afforded  this  Association  so  much  satisfaction  —  and 
plans,  too,  which  have  proved  so  effectual  in  the  earlier  period  of  this  Society. 

Nor  is  it  a  cause  for  our  regrets  that  the  people  of  this  city  and  State  have  com- 
menced the  great  work  of  education  and  the  emancipation  of  ignorance  from  the  minds 
of  the  poorer  classes  of  its  inhabitants. 

It  seems  to  me  that  it  would  not  be  considered  too  great  an  assumption,  on  the  part 
of  this  Society,  to  claim  much  credit  for  the  large  additional  force  (in  the  cause  of  benev- 
olence and  education)  for  its  early  and  commendable  example  in  these  beneficial  causes — 
causes  that  not  only  concern  our  city  and  our  State,  but  our  whole  country. 

In  view  of  our  inactive  condition,  and  the  decrease  in  the  addition  of  members,  the 
decrease  in  the  number  of  readers  to  our  libraries,  the  decrease  of  pupils  in  our  school,  and 
the  increase  of  expenses  attending  the  various  departments  of  the  Society,  and  the  increase 
of  other  philanthropic  associations  in  the  city  (many  of  which  are  under  the  fostering  care 
of  the  State),  it  seems  to  me  that  there  has  been  no  time  in  the  history  of  this  Society  that 
has  required  more  sagacity,  more  wisdom,  and  more  determination  on  the  part  of  its 
members,  than  the  present  period. 

In  directing  our  course  wisely  at  this  important  juncture,  in  the  affairs  of  the  Society,  it 
will  not  only  save  it  from  insignificance  and  final  extinction,  but  it  will  be  the  means  of  ele- 
vating it  to  a  position  first  among  the  benevolent  and  educational  institutions  of  the  world. 


324 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


Through  the  advantages  of  steam  and  electricity  New- York  has  become  the  heart  of 
the  nation.  Consequently,  whatever  is  pulsated  in  this  city  is  reverberated  throughout  the 
length  and  breadth  of  our  country. 

And  should  she  begin  the  great  work  of  uniting  science  with  labor,  through  which  the 
industrial  classes  might  be  elevated  and  honored,  New-York  will  become  the  heart  of  the 
world. 

Is  it  not  important,  then,  that  we  should  lay  the  foundation  of  an  institution  to  be 
devoted  to  art  and  science  in  connection  with  all  the  industrial  pursuits  of  this  advanced 
age  of  civilization  ?  as  upon  the  education  and  the  elevation  of  the  laborer  devolves  the 
continuation  of  this  republic,  and  upon  the  continuation  of  this  republic  may  depend  the 
freedom  of  all  mankind  ! 

There  are  unmistakable  signs  in  the  political  horizon  of  this  country,  of  a  sad  depart- 
ure from  the  principles  laid  down  by  our  forefathers.  Washington's  test  for  governmental, 
State,  and  municipal  officials  was — is  he  capable,  is  he  honest?  But  nowadays  we  hear 
the  questions  asked :  What  will  he  give  for  the  office,  or  will  he  divide  the  spoils  ?  or, 
which  is  the  same  thing,  Will  he  favor  this  or  the  other  monopoly,  or  favor  the  movement 
of  some  despotic  design  to  crush  the  honest  laborer  ? 

Thus,  honesty,  integrity,  and  justice,  it  seems,  no  longer  deserve  merit  in  politics,  nor, 
I  regret  to  say,  in  ordinary  transactions  of  this  enlightened  age ;  consequently,  confidence 
among  men  is  destroyed,  and  our  country  is  rapidly  plunging  into  monopolies,  aristocracies, 
frauds,  bribery,  and  malfeasance  in  office.  Such  is  the  condition  and  such  the  tendency  of 
this  country,  that  the  distance  from  where  we  now  stand  to  despotism  is  much  shorter 
than  we  would  care  to  have  measured  out  to  us,  as  it  might  point  to  the  short  period  in 
which  the  apprentice  boys,  who  now  frequent  our  libraries,  will  be  called  upon  to  fight 
over  again  the  battles  of  freedom  in  America. 

The  thought  that  this  nation  is  rapidly  tending  toward  a  monarchy,  in  less  than  a 
century  of  its  existence,  is  to  me  a  sad  contemplation.  This  tendency  is  the  result  of 
speculation,  or  artificial  means  resorted  to  in  order  to  acquire  what  is  considered  an 
honorable  position  in  society  —  that  is,  a  closer  proximity  to  the  aristocrat.  To  show  the 
extent  and  magnitude  of  the  speculative  condition  and  tendency  of  the  people  of  this 
country,  I  extract  from  a  circular  issued  by  a  respectable  commercial  agency  in  this  city 
the  following : 

"  We  beg  your  reference  to  the  following  table,  giving  such  particulars  as  may  be  of 
some  interest.  It  has  been  gotten  up  in  great  haste,  necessarily,  but  we  have  avoided  no 
pains  or  expense  to  make  it  accurate.  In  the  large  cities  we  have,  in  three-fourths  of  the 
cases,  the  statements  of  the  parties  themselves.  In  some  recent  cases  of  failure  no  exhibits 
have  as  yet  been  prepared.  In  all  instances  where  these  statements  were  not  to  be  had, 
we  have  put  a  careful  estimate  upon  each  case,  our  own  records  furnishing  us  data  by  which 
we  could  more  nearly  approximate  it  than  by  any  other  method. 

"We  have  not  included  such  houses  as  suspended  for  a  short  time,  and  resumed 
payment ;  nor  such  as,  during  the  panic,  had  partial  or  even  general  extension,  where  it 
has  been  upon  short  time ;  nor  have  we  included  the  losses  by  the  failures  of  banks  or 
railroads. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


325 


"  These  returns  omit  California,  our  arrangements  for  that  State  not  yet  being  as 
perfect  as  elsewhere. 

"  It  will  be  seen  that  the  number  of  firms  in  the  United  States  (California  excepted), 
by  our  records — and  they  embrace  all  but  a  class  of  small  retailers  in  the  larger  cities — is 
204,061 ;  or,  estimating  the  population  at  25,000,000,  that  there  is  a  store  to  every  123  of 
our  inhabitants,  or  to  every  25  families. 

"  There  has  been  lost  by  337  swindling  and  absconding  debtors,  $5,222,500,  and  by 
512  firms  which  will  pay  nothing,  their  losses  and  confidential  debts  absorbing  everything, 
$20,309,000.  There  are  3,839  concerns  owing  $197,080,500,  and  they  are  such  cases  as 
usually  average  40  to  50  cents;  and  there  are  435  houses  owing  $77,189,000,  which  will 
pay  in  full  if  the  times  ahead  prove  to  be  ordinarily  prosperous. 

"  The  total  amount  of  the  liabilities  of  the  5,123  failures  is  put  down  at  $299,801,000." 

These  statistics  require  no  comments.  Figures  tell  their  own  stories  and  the  true 
results,  and  in  this  case  they  show  most  conclusively  the  tendency  of  the  American  people. 
Speculators  lay  the  foundation  for  monopolies,  and  monopolies  thrive  best  under  mon- 
archies. And  out  of  speculations,  monopolies,  and  monarchies,  have  grown  the  system  of 
aristocracies,  which  has  plunged  the  nations  of  the  past  into  crime  and  degradation.  And 
it  is  the  condition  of  nearly  all  nations  on  the  face  of  the  globe  but  our  own,  and  this 
country  is  almost  within  the  grasp  of  a  despotic  power. 

The  question  whether  this  country  shall  continue  to  be  governed  by  the  principles  of 
republicanism,  or  pass  into  the  hands  of  oligarchies  and  despots,  will  sooner  or  later  be 
contested  in  this  country,  and  it  is  being  agitated  even  now.  The  accumulation  of  gold  in 
the  hands  of  the  few,  and  land  monopolies  and  the  slavery  question,  is  virtually  the  hideous 
form  of  despotism. 

The  power  of  gold  and  the  slavery  question  constituted  the  elements  which  caused  the 
downfall  of  Greece  and  Rome ;  and  the  same  elements  and  causes  will  determine  the  ultimate 
of  these  United  States,  and,  upon  the  turn  which  these  questions  take,  will  lead  either  to 
the  attainment  of  pure  democratic  principles  or  the  final  overthrow  of  this  republic. 

With  your  indulgence,  I  will  glance  still  further  at  the  condition  and  tendency  of  our 
country  at  large,  that  we  may  the  more  accurately  determine  what  are  our  duties,  as  con- 
tributors and  sustainers,  to  the  principles  which  constituted  the  basis  of  the  American 
Government. 

As  a  nation,  we  are  passing  through  a  commercial  and  financial  crisis  unprecedented 
in  its  magnitude  and  most  destructive  in  its  consequences.  The  banker,  the  merchant, 
the  broker,  and  the  speculator,  have  been  swept  off  the  stage  of  action,  and  now  lie 
buried  beneath  promises  unfulfilled  and  obligations  undischarged. 

The  mechanic,  the  manufacturer,  and  the  agriculturist,  being  closely  associated  with 
these  classes,  and  by  them  by  far  too  much  controlled,  have  been  obliged  to  submit  to 
losses,  and  in  many  cases  ruin.  Consequently,  the  laborer  has  been  thrown  out  of 
employment,  and  his  family  reduced  to  hunger,  cold,  and  beggary.  The  poor  orphan 
girl  has  been  thrown  upon  the  cold  charities  and  selfishness  of  society,  and  perchance 
driven  to  despair  and  suicide,  by  viewing  on  the  one  hand  starvation,  and  on  the  other 
disgrace  and  degradation. 


326 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


Thus,  our  streets  are  filled  with  the  unemployed,  begging  for  work  and  bread ;  and 
our  city  is  infested  with  organized  banditti,  for  plunder  and  rapine;  our  citizens  and 
strangers  are  unsafe  in  their  properly,  and  their  lives,  by  day  and  by  night,  are  in 
jeopardy. 

This  is  the  sad  picture  and  the  sad  condition  of  society  in  which  we  dwell.  And,  too, 
at  a  time  when  knowledge  is  more  universally  diffused ;  and  at  a  time  when  the  light  of 
science  shines  more  brilliantly  upon  our  paths  than  it  ever  before  shone  upon  any  period 
in  the  history  of  the  world  !  And,  too,  in  a  country  that  abounds  in  natural  resources  and 
natural  wealth  sufficient  for  all  our  needs,  and  a  climate  favorable  to  all  our  wants  and  com- 
forts. Nature  also  sends  forth  her  enchanting  melodies,  and  her  smiles  in  fragrant  flowers, 
to  cheer  and  invite  us  to  Justice,  Fraternity,  Harmony,  and  Love.  But,  alas  for  man  ! 
notwithstanding  these  privileges  and  divine  blessings,  mankind  live  and  dwell  in  discord, 
enmity,  selfishness,  and  crime. 

And  why  is  it  ?  Is  there  no  cause  ?  Yes,  a  cause  broad,  deep,  and  cankerous  !  The 
evils  of  misery  and  degradation  of  mankind  arise  from  the  simple  fact  that  labor  is 
disreputable.  The  history  of  the  past  proclaims,  and  the  experience  of  the  present 
confirms,  that  to  labor  and  to  earn  our  bread  by  the  sweat  of  the  brow  is  discreditable — a 
reproach,  a  disgrace,  and  a  stigma  upon  every  man,  woman,  or  child,  according  to  the 
false  standard  or  aristocratical  judgment  of  the  world. 

Hence,  the  rising  generation  resort  to  every  device — yes,  and  every  vice — to  avoid 
the  God-like  principle  of  labor. 

This  standard,  by  which  mankind  are  judged,  originated  with  monarchs,  kings,  and 
queens, —  the  despots  and  usurpers  of  the  rights  of  man,  in  the  dark  ages  of  the  past, — 
and  it  is  a  standard  that  is  being  perfected  and  peq^etuated  by  every  speculator, 
monopolizer,  and  aristocrat  of  every  town,  city,  State,  and  nation  of  the  world. 

The  desire  of  riches,  for  aristocratical  and  selfish  purposes,  induces  the  American 
people  to  embark  in  all  the  various  forms  of  speculations  v.  hich  now  infest  society.  Hence 
it  is  that  all  the  avenues,  from  the  producer  to  the  consumer,  are  hedged  in  and  blocked 
up  with  speculators  and  monopolizers,  with  an  object  of  extorting  something  from  both, 
whereby  they  may  enrich  themselves,  and  gain  power  and  dominion  over  the  producer 
and  tyrannize  over  the  consumer. 

This  system  is  wide-spread  and  deep-rooted,  and  constitutes  the  basis  of  all  despotic 
forms  of  governments;  and  it  is  a  system  that  has  destroyed  every  spark  of  humanity  in 
the  Old  World,  and  this  system  is  wide-spreading  and  deep-rooting  in  this  new  republic ! 

The  result  of  monopolies  in  the  past  have  been  to  deprive  the  producers  of  their  just 
rights,  and  the  same  results  must  be  realized  from  the  same  causes  in  the  future — results, 
too,  that  have  never  failed  to  enrich  still  more  the  wealthy,  and  plunge  the  poor  still 
deeper  in  poverty,  and,  finally,  serfdom  and  slavery. 

This  is  the  history  of  the  past,  in  unmistakable  language ;  and,  as  time  rolls  on,  it  will 
prove  the  history  of  the  future  and  the  ultimate  of  this  nation. 

Since  the  acquisition  and  discovery  of  gold  in  California,  speculations  have  received 
an  impetus  never  before  realized  in  this  country,  and  its  effects  upon  the  morals  of  the 
American  people  are  prominently  manifested. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN, 


327 


As  in  all  other  countries,  so  in  ours.  The  substitution  of  gold  for  labor  has  ever  been, 
and  will  ever  be,  demoralizing,  degenerating,  and  degrading  in  its  tendency  upon  both 
men  and  nations. 

This  is  signally  proved  and  unmistakably  set  forth  in  all  history,  both  sacred  and 
profane. 

The  effects  of  a  great  abundance  of  gold  in  times  of  peace  is  to  reduce  the  people  to 
idleness  and  profligacy,  and  in  times  of  war  to  bind  the  nation  in  bondage  and  slavery. 

The  history  of  Greece  bears  abundant  testimony  of  the  truthfulness  of  this  assertion. 
The  democracy  of  the  Athenians  was  sustained  and  promoted  just  so  long  as  industry  was 
esteemed  honorable  and  essential  for  the  preservation  of  health,  strength,  and  purity  of 
mankind,  and  an  indispensable  qualification  and  guarantee  of  power,  strength,  and  influ- 
ence of  a  nation.  But  at  last,  notwithstanding  the  warning  and  eloquence  of  Demos- 
thenes, and  the  dignity  with  which  Lycurgus  and  Solon  crowned  the  laborer,  she  succumbed 
to  the  fictitious  value  attached  to  gold,  through  which  grew  out  a  system  of  usury,  specu- 
lations, and  monopolies  which  resulted  in  enslaving  her  people,  from  which  Athens 
degenerated,  and  the  Athenians  fell  an  easy  prey  to  a  despotic  power. 

We  have  seen  the  effects  of  gold  in  other  nations  nearer  our  own  country,  and  in  our 
own  time;  and  also  the  degenerating  effects  of  a  feudal  system  of  land-monopolies  and 
landlords.  And  England  felt  it,  in  the  last  allied  war,  in  her  feeble  efforts  before  Sebas- 
topol.  Her  efforts  in  that  attempt  plainly  indicated  that  aristocrats  make  feeble  soldiers, 
as  well  as  bad  examples  ! 

The  effects  of  a  golden  harvest  and  a  golden  mania  is  unmistakably  manifested  in  the 
present  condition  of  Spain  and  Mexico. 

As  it  has  been,  and  is,  with  other  nations,  so  will  it  be  with  ours  ere  long,  unless  we 
retrace  our  steps  and  restore  dignity  to  labor. 

It  has  been  shown  that  the  American  people  are  favored  beyond  measure  as  to 
climate,  natural  resources,  and  natural  wealth ;  and  that  Nature  sends  forth  her  beauties 
to  gratify,  her  harmonies  to  cheer,  and  her  bounties  to  supply  our  needs.  Besides,  we  live 
under  a  constitution  which  proclaims  that  "  all  men  are  created  equal ;  that  they  are 
endowed  by  their  Creator  with  certain  inherent  and  inalienable  rights  :  that  among  these 
are  life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness."  Thus,  as  a  people,  we  have  every  blessing 
that  man  could  ask  for,  and  every  inducement  to  urge  us  to  fraternity,  happiness,  and 
justice.  Instead  of  which  we  live  in  enmity  and  hatred  toward  each  other  in  the  pursuits 
of  life,  and  end  our  days  in  selfishness  and  in  sorrow. 

Why  is  it  thus  ?  Has  civilization  proved  a  failure,  and  the  elective  franchise  of  a  free 
people  inadequate  for  the  distribution  of  justice?  No;  the  golden  power  in  this  country 
is  producing  the  same  results  as  in  a  monarchy,  viz.,  extreme  wealth,  extreme  poverty, 
extreme  slavery,  extreme  crime,  and  extreme  degradation !  Can  it  be  that  the  golden 
idol,  before  which  nations  bow  with  reverence  and  men  worship  and  adore,  will  always* 
sway  the  destinies  of  men  and  nations  ?  And  will  it  ever  be  that  this  nation  will  descend 
so  low  in  the  scale  of  justice  and  humanity  as  to  establish  the  false  standard  of  aristo- 
cratical  judgment  —  a  judgment  without  truth,  without  principles,  without  justice,  or 
fraternal  feelings ;  surrounded  with  judges,  made  up  of  a  class  who  produce  nothing  but 


328 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


disease — and  a  disease,  too,  contagious  in  its  nature,  malignant  in  its  character,  and  most 
destructive  in  its  results  ? 

It  is  a  disease  that  moulds  our  children  into  bankers,  money  changers,  brokers, 
speculators,  monopolizers,  lawyers,  and  aristocrats  —  all  of  which  are  incompatible  with  a 
pure  democracy.  And  more,  it  is  converting  our  most  gifted  youth  into  gamblers,  thieves, 
and  robbers,  and  making  of  our  most  beautiful  young  women  prostitutes  and  worthless 
outlaws. 

This  disease  arises  from  the  simple  fact  that  labor  is  disreputable  and  aristocracies 
honorable.  This  disease  is  taking  fast  hold  of  the  American  people,  and,  unless  checked 
and  finally  subdued,  this  republic  will  ere  long  be  numbered  among  the  despots  of  the 
world ! 

The  only  salvation  for  this  republic  is  in  the  education  and  the  elevation  of  the 
laborer.  Bring  around  the  young  industrial  classes  the  light  of  science,  and  a  greater 
knowledge  of  themselves  as  physical,  intellectual,  and  immortal  beings,  and  their  relation 
to  nature  and  to  God,  and  we  shall  be  saved. 

Educate  the  laborer  in  science  and  in  art,  and  their  application  to  industry,  and 
develop  their  higher  faculties  in  accordance  with  the  principles  of  nature,  and  man  will 
ere  long  comprehend  that  true  wealth,  true  greatness,  and  true  goodness  does  not  consist 
in  gold,  in  bonds  and  mortgages,  bank  stocks,  and  houses — but  that  it  does  consist  in 
knowledge  of  eternal  principles,  of  universal  justice,  virtue,  and  heaven-born  wisdom.  Oh, 
that  the  American  people  would  raise  themselves  above  the  corrupting  influences  of  gold 
and  selfishness,  and  take  their  stand  firmly  upon  the  Rock  of  Ages — Labor,  and  the  prin- 
ciples of  Nature  and  Nature's  God !  Then  would  this  nation  be  a  republic  indeed,  and 
this  country  would  become  the  garden  of  the  world,  and  this  people  an  example  for  all 
mankind. 

The  aristocratical  standard,  by  which  mankind  are  judged,  consigns  to  poverty  and 
degradation  those  upon  whom  we  depend  for  our  daily  food ;  and  the  manufacturer  who 
forms  the  fabrics  that  cover  our  bodies,  and  the  mechanic  who  builds  our  ships,  steam- 
boats, locomotives,  and  builds  our  houses,  that  protect  us  from  the  storm ;  and  prints  and 
binds  our  books,  and  furnishes  us  with  newspapers ;  and  constructs  the  telescopes,  through 
which  we  gaze  and  behold  the  mysteries  and  wonders  of  God's  power,  goodness,  and  love. 
Yes,  these  students  of  Nature,  these  imitators  of  the  Eternal  Producer,  and  the  appren- 
tices of  the  All-wise  Mechanic — these  true  worshipers  of  the  Divine  Father — are, 
according  to  the  standard  of  the  world,  denominated  "  common,"  and  unfit  to  associate 
with  the  so-called  higher  classes,  even  in  this  boasted  land  of  republicanism.  The  rights 
of  the  laborer,  and  the  distribution  of  justice,  are  becoming  the  all-absorbing  topics  of  this 
enlightened  age.  And  they  are  topics  that  concern  us  individually,  socially,  and  politically. 
And  upon  the  decision  of  these  topics  depend  our  highest  privileges,  and  upon  them  depends 
the  freedom  of  the  world. 

This  Society  has  done  much  toward  removing  the  prejudices  and  disadvantages 
under  which  the  mechanics  of  this  city  have  labored.  But  the  great  work  of  redeeming 
the  laborer  from  frowns,  and  his  elevation  to  a  standard  commensurate  with  their  just 
rights,  have  scarcely  yet  begun. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


329 


The  great  increase  in  the  population  of  this  city,  and  the  increasing  wants  of  the 
mechanic,  in  order  to  keep  pace  with  the  rapid  progress  in  the  knowledge  of  science  and 
art,  require  of  us  corresponding  efforts  in  ways  and  means,  so  that  the  light  of  this  knowl- 
edge may  shine  advantageously  upon  the  paths  of  the  apprentice,  and  manifest  itself  in 
the  true  mechanic. 

The  rapid  advances  which  are  now  being  made  in  the  perfection  of  art,  and  in  the 
wonderful  discoveries  in  the  use  of  electricity  in  connection  with  the  powers  of  steam,  are 
producing  great  changes  in  the  affairs  of  men,  and  must,  ultimately,  in  the  affairs  of 
nations. 

The  laborer  should  be  crowned  with  a  knowledge  of  art  and  science.  This  is  the 
great  work  for  the  coming  generation,  and  a  work  that  angels  and  God  require  at  our 
hands.  Institutions  for  the  education  and  elevation  of  the  industrial  classes,  by  uniting 
science  with  the  various  productive  interests  of  our  country,  is  the  field  in  which  we 
should,  as  a  Society,  enter  with  all  our  energies,  talents,  and  means.  It  is  a  field  that  as 
yet  not  a  plow  nor  a  spade  has  broken  ground  in  this  city. 

There  is  no  class  of  men,  nor  any  association,  so  abundantly  qualified  in  means  and 
abilities  as  the  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen's  Society  of  the  City  of  New-York  ;  and  there  is 
no  class  of  men  among  the  inquirers  into  the  principles  of  nature  that  the  world  can  look 
to  with  more  assurance  for  usefulness  than  to  the  true  mechanic  ;  and  to  no  class  among 
the  rising  generation  could  our  efforts  be  more  advantageously  applied  than  to  the 
apprentice  in  the  accomplishment  of  this  great  work. 

Shall  we  go  forth,  then,  and  pluck  the  flower  which  is  already  within  our  reach,  or 
shall  we  remain  in  our  present  state  of  inactivity,  and  see  others  grasp  it,  and  bear  it 
triumphantly  over  our  heads  ?  There  will  be  a  Mechanics'  Polytechnic  School  estab- 
lished in  the  city  of  New- York,  and  it  depends  on  the  immediate  action  of  this  Society 
whether  it,  or  some  other  association,  shall  receive  the  honor  of  laying  its  foundation. 

A  Mechanics'  Polytechnic  Institution  in  the  city  of  New- York  would  be  to  the  me- 
chanical interest  of  the  United  States  what  West  Point  Academy  is  to  the  American  Army. 

When  we  consider  the  great  diminution  of  apprentices  among  the  American  youth, 
there  is  evidently  a  serious  cause  and  a  radical  error.  And  it  undoubtedly  consists  in  the 
slavish  system,  now  in  use,  whereby  the  apprentice  is  forced  to  resort,  in  order  to  obtain 
some  little  insight  into  the  various  trades  and  occupations  of  mechanics  of  New-York. 

Few  there  are,  I  fear,  among  mechanics  who  pursue  their  vocation  with  much,  if  any, 
reference  to  principles.  Such  instances  must  be  rare,  indeed,  when  the  paramount  object 
of  the  American  people,  in  all  their  pursuits  in  life,  is  to  wealth,  ease,  and  aristocracies. 
Hence,  the  mechanic  pursues  his  occupation  for  pecuniary  gains,  without  reference  to 
science  or  thinking.  I  apprehend  that  the  true  mechanic  should  study  and  know  more  of 
the  principles  of  nature  than  other  class  in  society  or  among  men. 

The  mechanic,  therefore,  when  taking  an  apprentice,  does  so  with  special  reference 
to  pecuniary  gains,  forgetting,  in  his  anxious  pursuit  after  riches,  that  his  apprentice  is 
entitled  to  care,  and  to  be  educated  in  the  principles  of  the  trade  in  view. 

I  feel  justified  in  asserting  that  apprentices  can  never  acquire  a  knowledge  of  the 
science  of  mechanics  under  the  present  slavish  system  of  learning  trades.     Besides,  it 


33Q 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


deters  the  more  intelligent  portion  of  the  rising  generation  from  attempting  it.  Conse- 
quently, few,  if  any,  Americans,  are  now  found  among  the  apprentice  boys,  from  the  fact 
that  parents  are  unwilling  that  their  children  should  be  bound  out  to  toil  and  hardship,  for 
the  little  insight  they  obtain  of  the  principles  of  mechanics. 

This  needs  the  serious  attention  of  all,  especially  of  the  true  mechanic,  who  knows 
the  wants  and  needs  of  the  apprentice,  in  order  to  prepare  him  to  enter  understandingly 
the  great  productive  pursuits  of  our  country. 

If  it  be  necessary  to  establish  rules  and  boundaries  whereby  to  test  the  qualifications 
and  attainments  of  the  lawyer,  the  doctor,  and  the  ecclesiastic,  is  it  not  also  essential  and 
necessary  that  there  should  be  some  standard  whereby  the  public  might  know  of  the 
qualifications  of  the  mechanic  who  builds  our  ships,  steamboats,  locomotives,  and  bridges, 
upon  the  construction  of  which  frequently  depend  our  lives  ? 

There  are  very  many  in  the  city  of  New- York  and  elsewhere  who  would  gladly  avail 
themselves  of  an  institution  such  as  already  referred  to,  in  order  to  give  their  children  a 
mechanical  education,  and  a  greater  proficiency  in  art  and  science. 

Is  it  not  a  disgrace  to  New- York  that  the  juvenile  delinquent  should  be  better 
provided  with  educational  privileges  and  better  cared  for  than  the  honest  apprentice  ? 

Yisit  the  institution  on  Blackwell's  Island,  erected  for  the  juvenile  delinquents  of  our 
State,  and  contrast  their  advantages  (except  as  to  the  privileges  of  their  liberty)  with  the 
honest  apprentice,  and  it  seems  to  me  that  hearts  as  hard  as  adamant  would  quail  for  the 
negligence  and  thoughtlessness  of  the  American  people  in  behalf  of  the  young,  and  in 
reference  to  rewarding  the  industrious  and  the  virtuous  according  to  their  merits. 

As  I  walked  through  that  institution  for  the  juvenile  delinquents,  on  the  island 
referred  to,  and  inspected  its  workshops,  school-rooms,  and  play-grounds,  I  realized 
feelings  of  sadness  and  joy  indescribable.  The  thought  that  our  State  authorities  had 
begun  the  great  work  of  redemption  of  the  young  criminal  was  to  me  a  source  of  gieat 
joy.  But  the  thought  that  how  much  better  it  would  be  for  our  State  to  provide  institu- 
tions for  the  prevention  of  crime  and  for  the  instruction  of  the  rising  industrial  classes  in 
the  various  industrial  pursuits,  and  in  science  and  in  art,  than  to  be  at  the  expense  of  pro- 
viding for  them  after  having  degraded  themselves,  not  only  in  the  eyes  of  society,  but  in 
their  own  estimation,  from  which  doubtless  they  would  never  outgrow,  was  to  me  a 
source  of  sad  contemplation.  Could  the  children  of  poor  and  degraded  parents  be  sent  to 
institutions  like  the  one  to  which  reference  has  been  made,  before  committing  crimes,  how 
much  better  it  would  be  for  our  city  and  State  —  for  it  would  be  the  means  of  saving 
thousands  from  becoming  thieves  and  robbers,  and  thousands  from  prostitution  and 
infamy. 

I  refer  to  the  Institution  for  Juvenile  Delinquents  as  a  model  institution  —  not  only  as 
an  institution  for  the  young  criminal,  but  as  a  model  for  an  institution  for  the  prevention 
of  crime. 

It  affords  me  great  pleasure  to  know  that  some  of  the  members  of  this  Society  have 
been  prominent  in  perfecting  the  plans  of  that  institution,  as  well  as  other  institutions  on 
the  islands,  and,  I  believe,  still  hold  prominent  positions  in  the  administration  of  their 
affairs. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


331 


There  is  much  information  to  be  obtained  in  passing  through  the  institutions  of 
our  city  on  the  adjacent  islands.  Besides,  it  is  a  treat  rarely  met  with,  for  any  having 
one  drop  of  human  blood  in  their  veins,  to  know  that  there  is  one  spot  on  the  face  of  the 
globe  of  real  humanity. 

Retracing  the  progress  of  the  past,  to  fhe  days  of  Washington  and  of  Franklin,  we 
find  the  germ  of  this  noble  institution — The  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen's  Society;  a 
society  that  has  watched  over  and  guarded  the  interest  of  the  mechanic,  while  engaged  in 
building  up  and  beautifying  this  vast  metropolis ;  a  society  ever  ready  to  extend  a  helping 
hand  to  a  brother  in  times  of  revulsions  and  commercial  disasters,  as  in  times  of  prosperity ; 
a  society  engaged  in  promoting  and  disseminating  literary  and  scientific  knowledge  among 
the  industrial  classes;  a  society  that  has  been  upheld  and  sustained  by  some  of  New- 
York's  most  esteemed  and  distinguished  citizens;  a  society  in  the  enjoyment  of  wealth 
and  influence  that  challenges  our  whole  country.    Such  is  our  Society ! 

The  arrangements  into  the  various  committees  which  compose  its  executive  branches, 
and  the  benefits  resulting  from  those  departments,  bear  ample  testimony  of  the  sagacity 
of  the  founders  of  the  institution,  and  the  wisdom  of  those  members  who  have  been  instru- 
mental in  the  perfection  of  those  plans  and  the  promotion  of  its  objects. 

To  relieve  the  unfortunate,  the  widow,  and  the  orphan,  were  the  primary  objects  of 
the  founders  of  this  Society.  Such  is  the  language,  and  such  are  the  promises,  made  to 
every  mechanic  and  tradesman  who  enters  the  fraternal  bond  of  this  benevolent  institution. 
And  it  must  be  a  proud  satisfaction  to  every  member  of  the  Society  to  know  that  this 
promise  is  sacredly  kept  and  faithfully  fulfilled  to  every  indigent  member  while  life 
remains  in  the  external  form ;  and  when  it  departs,  his  last  remains  are  removed  by  the 
Society  (if  the  necessity  requires)  to  his  last  place  of  rest ! 

In  remembrance  of  the  departed  brother,  and  in  consequence  of  this  pledge,  the 
widow  is  kindly  and  respectfully  considered  by  the  Committee  on  Pensions,  and  the 
Society,  through  them,  aids  her  in  her  wants  and  cheers  her  in  her  misfortunes.  The 
orphans  also  appear,  bearing  the  pledge  to  the  lamented  father,  and  they,  too,  are  aided  in 
their  temporal  wants;  and  means  were  provided  to  give  them  a  free  education  when  there 
were  few,  if  any,  opportunities  in  the  city  whereby  they  might  cultiva'  i  their  intellectual 
faculties. 

These  were  the  laudable  purposes  that  brought  this  great  and  noble  institution  into 
being;  and  the  results  which  have  grown  out  of  the  harmonious  labors  of  the  committee 
having  this  department  in  charge  is  conclusive  evidence  of  its  adaptation  to  the  purposes 
for  which  it  was  designed. 

This  department  has  proved  a  blessing  to  the  indigent  members,  their  widows,  and 
their  orphans,  and  a  well-merited  honor  to  the  Society. 

It  appears  from  the  annual  report  of  the  Pension  Committee  that  there  were,  during 
the  past  year,  ninety  persons  who  were  the  recipients  of  the  Society's  pecuniary  favors. 

The  appropriation  to  this  department,  as  appears  from  the  Treasurer's  report,  was 
$3,400. 

The  department  represented  by  the  Literary  and  Scientific  Committee  has  contributed 
much  to  our  pleasure,  and,  I  trust,  much  to  our  knowledge. 


332 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


To  make  this  department  truly  instructing,  popular,  and  beneficial  to  the  Society  and 
to  the  public,  much  care  and  attention  will  be  required.  Some  complaints  have  been 
made  in  reference  to  this  department.  There  are  some  among  us  who  consider  this 
department  quite  inefficient,  considering  the  amount  annually  appropriated  to  defray  its 
expenses.  I  am  inclined,  however,  to  be  charitable  in  reference  to  those  who  have  in 
charge  this  branch  of  the  Society,  knowing  that  the  committees  have  labored  under  many 
disadvantages,  the  most  prominent  of  which  is  in  not  having  a  suitable  and  commodious 
lecture-room  of  our  own. 

A  large  and  attractive  lecture-room  is,  in  my  opinion,  indispensable  for  the  success 
and  efficiency  of  this  useful  and  interesting  department. 

Had  the  Society  a  large  hall,  our  lectures  could  be  made  very  attractive,  and  the 
Mechanics'  Hall  would  become  as  attractive  and  notorious  in  usefulness  as  it  is  now  in 
nonsense. 

If  this  could  be  realized,  the  expenses  attending  this  department  might  be  wholly 
defrayed  by  the  sale  of  tickets  to  all  non-members. 

This  circumstance  alone  would  induce  others  to  join  the  Society  for  the  privileges  of 
the  lectures,  providing  the  lectures  can  be  made  popular.  To  accomplish  this,  no  second- 
rate  lecturer  should  ever  be  employed.  Give  the  public  to  understand  that,  whenever  the 
Mechanics  and  Tradesmen's  Society  advertise  a  lecture,  it  will  be  a  sure  guarantee  for 
an  intellectual  entertainment,  and  we  should  never  fail  to  dispose  of  tickets  sufficiently  to 
defray  the  expenses  attending  the  lecture. 

Attain  this  point  in  our  lecturing  department,  and  it  will  prove  one  of  the  most  useful 
and  interesting  of  the  Society's  efforts.  The  usual  appropriation  to  this  department  is  five 
hundred  dollars  per  annum. 

The  Library  department  I  approach  with  much  personal  feeling  in  behalf  of  its  well- 
being  and  future  success  as  a  library,  and  its*  influence  on  the  minds  of  that  class  of  the 
rising  generation  whom  it  was  designed  to  benefit. 

Ten  years  ago,  this  very  period,  I  had  the  honor  of  being  appointed  on  the  committee 
having  charge  of  this  department.  And  I  have  ever  felt  a  deep  interest  in  its  enlargement 
and  prominence  as  a  library  in  our  great  city.  And  it  is  a  department  which  it  has  been 
truly  said  I  more  particularly  represent. 

1 1  affords  me  great  pleasure,  as  a  member  of  the  Library  Committee  in  the  past,  to 
acknowledge  the  liberality  and  kind  attention  on  the  part  of  the  Society  in  behalf  of  that 
branch  of  this  Institution. 

The  Society  has  ever  been  ready  and  willing  to  meet  promptly  all  the  demands  of  the 
Library  Committee  for  all  purposes  calculated  to  improve  the  library  and  promote  the 
interests  of  its  readers. 

In  this  department,  as  well  as  in  the  literary  and  scientific,  there  is  much  need  of 
improvement.  There  is  a  lack  of  room  for  the  proper  display  of  books,  and  commodious 
and  attractive  reading-rooms.  Besides,  there  is  great  need  of  a  picture  gallery,  which 
should  contain  a  general  assortment  of  mechanical  drawings.  Had  the  library  department 
a  gallery  of  art,  it  would  afford  means  of  attracting  a  greater  number  of  visitors  to  our 
reading-rooms,  and  the  means  of  largely  increasing  the  readers  of  our  libraries,  especially 


MECHANICS      AND  TRADESMEN 


333 


the  De  Milt.  The  books  in  the  De  Milt  library  are  well  adapted  for  a  reference  library, 
and  as  such  it  might  be  made  very  attractive.  The  expense  attending  our  libraries  and 
reading-rooms,  considering  the  small  number  of  readers,  is  quite  an  item,  leaving  but  a 
small  amount  for  new  books  out  of  the  annual  appropriation ;  whereas,  if  it  was  more 
attractively  presented  to  the  public,  with  increased  facilities,  it  might  be  made  in  part  self- 
sustaining.  If  this  happy  result  could  be  attained  with  the  annual  liberal  appropriation 
of  the  Society,  it  might  and  ought  to  be  the  most  influential  library  in  our  city;  especially 
because  of  the  plan  which  has  been  adopted  in  relation  to  that  part  of  our  library  known 
as  the  De  Milt,  of  making  it  an  attractive  reference  library  for  mechanical  and  scientific 
purposes. 

In  relation  to  the  Library  department,  I  beg  the  liberty  of  presenting  a  suggestion  to 
your  favorable  notice.  And  should  it  receive  your  favorable  consideration  and  approval, 
it  will,  in  my  opinion,  not  only  bring  the  library  and  reading-rooms  into  greater  notice  and 
usefulness,  but  it  will  also  be  the  means,  ultimately,  of  largely  increasing  the  members  of 
the  Society. 

The  suggestion  is:  for  the  Society  to  invite  the  formation  of  a  Journeyman  and 
Apprentice's  Library  Association,  by  granting  them  privileges  to  the  library  and  reading- 
rooms,  and  the  use  of  our  lecture-room,  allowing  them  to  elect  their  own  officers,  etc.,  to 
be  under  the  supervision  of  the  Library  Committee. 

This  would  give  to  our  libraries,  reading-rooms,  and  Society  a  greater  impetus  than 
it  has  ever  had  from  any  other  source  whatever.  This  association,  if  properly  fostered  by 
the  Society,  would  be  constantly  preparing  new  members  to  the  general  association.  With- 
out some  new  source  of  influx,  this  Society  will  dwindle  away,  and  ere  long  be  numbered 
among  the  institutions  of  the  past. 

I  hear  a  universal  complaint  that  our  Society  is  doing  nothing.  But  the  difficulty  is, 
we  have  nothing  to  do.  We  have  ploughed  and  harrowed  our  ground  until  the  soil  is 
beginning  to  lose  its  vitality,  and  the  laborers,  in  consequence,  are  becoming  disheartened 
for  the  want  of  some  new  element  to  feed  upon.  This  is  the  true  condition  of  the  Society ; 
and  without  some  new  element  of  a  progressive  nature,  it  will  rapidly  decay  and  finally 
terminate  its  existence  in  a  struggle  for  the  spoils. 

It  appears  from  the  Annual  Report  of  the  Library  Committee,  that  there  are  1,473 
readers  in  both  libraries,  155  less  than  the  previous  year.  The  number  of  volumes  in  both 
libaries  is  18,961, — 15,966  in  the  Apprentices',  and  2,  995  in  the  De  Milt  Library. 

The  appropriation  for  this  department  for  the  past  year  was  $2,000. 

The  expenses  attending  the  libraries,  exclusive  of  rent,  is  about  $800  per  annum. 

The  next  and  last  department,  although  not  by  any  means  the  least,  is  the  Society's 
School. 

The  conception  and  establishment  of  the  department  represented  by  the  School  Com- 
mittee was  truly  a  noble  thought  and  a  noble  deed,  not  only  as  a  prominent  means  of 
increasing  the  members  of  the  Society,  but  as  a  beneficial  effort  in  behalf  of  their  children, 
in  placing  within  their  reach  the  means  to  improve  their  mental  and  intellectual  capacities. 

Considering  the  period  in  which  the  Society  established  its  school,  it  certainly  was 
an  enterprise  and  a  charity  worthy  of  our  country's  highest  admiration. 


334 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


It  may  be  truly  said  that  this  Society  planted  the  acorn  that  has  given  birth  to  the 
expansive  and  flourishing  oak  under  which  the  children  of  this  great  city  sit  and  cultivate 
and  develop  their  nobler  faculties. 

The  public  free  schools  of  this  city  and  State  constitute  a  tree  of  knowledge  such  as 
the  world  never  before  looked  upon.  Under  its  branches  are  gathered  together  the  children 
of  the  rich  and  the  poor,  breathing  the  same  atmosphere,  occupying  the  same  seats,  and 
drinking  from  the  same  great  fountain  of  free  and  equal  knowledge. 

From  a  report  of  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Schools,  recently  made  to  the  Legisla- 
ture of  this  State,  we  learn  the  gratifying  fact  that  there  are  832,735  children  who  attend 
the  public  schools,  and  taught  by  12,452  male  and  19,111  female  teachers. 

The  number  of  volumes  in  the  libraries  in  these  schools  now  number  1,377,923. 
What  an  example  this  presents  to  every  State  in  our  Union  and  every  nation  of  our 
globe ! 

I  noticed,  also,  in  the  report  recently  made  by  the  Board  of  Education  of  this  city, 
that  there  are  277  schools  that  come  within  their  jurisdiction,  which  are  classed  as 
follows:  Free  Academy,  1;  normal  schools,  3;  normal  school  for  colored  persons,  1; 
grammar  schools '  for  boys,  47  ;  grammar  schools  for  girls,  47  ;  primary  schools,  99 ; 
colored  ward  and  primary  schools,  14;  evening  schools,  34;  evening  schools  for  colored 
persons,  2;  corporate  asylum  schools,  26  ;  corporate  asylum  schools  for  colored  persons,  3. 

What  a  contrast,  compared  with  the  opportunities  when  this  Society  first  established 
their  school  mainly  for  the  members'  children  !  The  establishment  of  free  schools  in  our 
city  and  State  is  worthy  of  a  thanksgiving  and  general  rejoicing ;  not  only  on  account  of 
the  advantages  the  city  and  State  will  derive  from  them,  but  also  on  account  of  the 
influence  this  system  of  education  will  have  and  exert  upon  our  whole  country.  It  is 
through  the  influence  of  such  institutions  for  the  education  and  elevation  of  the  poorer 
classes,  under  the  fostering  care  of  States  and  General  Government,  that  this  nation  will 
be  sustained  as  a  republic  and  saved  from  a  despotic  power. 

With  such  educational  institutions,  and  the  elevation  of  the  laborer  to  a  position  of 
dignity  and  honor,  this  country  will  ultimately  be  governed  by  the  purest  principles  of 
democracy.  And  without  such  institutions,  and  the  elevation  of  the  laborer  to  dignity 
and  respect,  this  republic  will  cease  to  exist,  and  ultimate  in  the  basest  despotism  the  sun 
ever  shone  upon. 

From  the  annual  report  of  the  School  Committee  we  leam  the  following  results  : 
Whole  number  of  pupils,  274 —  1 1 1  boys,  163  girls  ;  of  this  number  there  are  ten  girls  and 
eight  boys  on  the  free-list. 

Decrease  of  pupils  in  the  school  during  the  past  year,  132.  The  appropriation  for 
the  past  year,  according  to  the  Treasurer's  report,  was  $2,663.88. 

It  is  very  evident,  from  the  committee's  report,  that  our  school  is  rapidly  declining  in 
scholars,  and  consequently  in  receipts.  And  it  is  not  at  all  astonishing  that  it  is  so, 
amidst  such  powerful  combinations  and  natural  causes. 

To  attempt  to  sustain  our  school  on  its  present  plan  would  (in  my  opinion)  be  as 
futile  as  to  attempt  to  compete  against  steam  with  horse-power,  or  to  use  steam  in  com- 
peting with  electricity  in  the  rapid  transmission  of  thought. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


335 


I  am  well  aware  of  the  hazardous  position  I  occupy  in  relation  to  the  favorite  depart- 
ment represented  by  the  School  Committee,  and  I  have  not  taken  it  without  carefully 
considering  the  true  interest  of  the  Society,  the  true  interest  of  the  apprentice,  and  the  true 
interest  of  the  mechanic. 

It  is  maintained  that  our  school  constitutes  the  right  arm  of  the  Society,  and  the 
principal  means  of  the  increase  of  its  members,  and  without  our  school  there  would  be  no 
inducement  for  others  to  join  it.  That  it  has  been  a  prominent  source  through  which  our 
Society  has  been  enlarged,  and  that  our  school  has  been  a  source  of  knowledge  to  the 
children  of  the  Society's  members  and  others,  none  can  deny.  But  if  the  more  liberal 
views  of  the  citizens  of  our  State  have  supplanted  it,  we  cannot  deny  also  but  that  our 
school  has  lost  its  potency,  and  it  must,  of  necessity,  bear  the  same  relation  to  that  enlarged 
thought  that  the  acorn  bears  to  the  oak.  And,  as  it  is  an  unchangeable  law  in  nature  that 
the  decay  of  the  acorn  is  in  proportion  to  the  growth  and  expansion  of  the  oak,  so  must  it 
be  with  our  public  free  schools  if  we  attain  more  and  more  toward  pure  democratic 
principles ;  and  they  are  as  sure  to  supersede  our  pay-school,  if  we  follow  in  their  track,  as 
the  oak  is  to  supersede  the  acorn. 

If  this  right  arm  of  ours  has  become  palsied  and  is  beginning  to  wither,  would  it  not 
be  better  to  amputate  it  before  it  diseases  our  whole  body  ? 

I  would  not,  however,  recommend  immediate  amputation,  for  I  trust  that  on  examina- 
tion we  shall  find  the  disease  as  yet  on  the  surface,  and  unless  proud-flesh  has  too  deep  a 
hold,  this  arm  of  ours  may  be  galvanized  into  new  life  and  new  form,  which  will  yet 
render  lasting  benefits  to  the  industrial  interests  of  our  whole  country. 

In  order  that  we  may  understand  more  fully  the  true  condition  and  tendency  not  only 
of  our  school,  but  all  the  interests  of  the  Society,  I  would  recommend  the  renewal  of  the 
proposition  of  our  elder  brother,  offered  not  long  since,  to  appoint  a  committee  of  thirteen, 
to  take  into  consideration  the  entire  interests  of  the  Society,  in  connection  with  its  duties 
to  the  rising  generation,  and  its  duties  as  contributors  and  sustainers  of  this  glorious 
republic. 

I  would,  however,  make  one  suggestion  in  reference  to  our  school  —  a  suggestion 
which  I  deem  of  the  utmost  importance  to  the  Society,  to  the  apprentice  and  mechanical 
interest  of  our  city,  and  as  an  example  for  our  country  at  large.  This  suggestion  is  for  this 
Society  to  begin  at  once  to  lay  the  foundation  for  a  Polytechnic  School,  to  which  reference 
has  already  been  made.  This,  of  course,  would  supersede  our  present  plan  of  a  school,  as 
it  will  require  a  different  course  of  instruction. 

The  establishment  of  a  polytechnic  institution  for  educational  purposes  is  in  manifest 
obedience  to  a  demand  of  the  most  general  interest  of  the  present  age. 

In  all  civilized  countries  the  prosecution  of  industrial  pursuits,  in  some  one  of  their 
multiform  phases,  constitutes  the  prime  business  of  man.  Whether  we  regard  his  opera- 
tions as  an  agricultural  producer,  as  a  manufacturer  or  artisan,  as  a  merchant  or  a  factor — " 
or,  finally,  as  an  engineer  or  architect,  adapting  his  work  to  the  wants  common  or  peculiar 
of  all  the  rest — still,  how  different  soever  the  respective  modes,  they  nevertheless  concur 
in  contributing  to  the  advancement  of  the  great  business  of  life. 


33^  GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 

PRODUCTIVE  INDUSTRY. 

From  a  report  and  description  of  the  Polytechnic  institutions  of  Europe,  which  report 
I  have  in  my  possession,  I  copy  the  following  in  relation  to  the  French,  who  are  considered 
the  most  proficient  in  art,  science,  and  philosophy,  to  which  the  French  people  are  mainly 
indebted  to  their  Polytechnic  institutions  : 

The  oldest  organization  bearing  the  appellation  of  Polytechnic  is  an  institution  of 
world-wide  celebrity,  the  Ecole  Polytechnique,  now  the  ficole  Imperiale  Polytechnique,  of 
Paris,  established  near  the  close  of  the  last  century  by  a  few  accomplished  and  zealous 
professors  of  the  mathematical  and  physical  sciences,  under  the  fostering  care  of  the  French 
Government,  an  especial  favorite  with  the  first  Emperor  Napoleon,  from  whom  it  received 
the  most  watchful  consideration  so  long  as  his  ever  appreciative  sagacity  could  be  made 
available  to  its  growth  and  usefulness.  It  soon  came  to  be,  and  indeed  has  been,  for 
the  last  half-century,  undoubtedly,  in  certain  respects,  the  first  school  of  science  in  the 
world. 

The  following  are  some  of  the  prominent  branches  taught  in  that  institution  : 

Analysis,  Mechanics,  Descriptive  Geometry,  Transformation  of  Motion,  General 
Physics,  General  Ghemistry,  Chemical  Manipulations,  Natural  History  applied  to  Indus- 
try, Mineralogy  and  Geology,  Physical  Geography,  Working  of  Mines,  Steam-Engines, 
Common  Roads,  Railways,  Construction  of  Bridges,  Theory  of  Stone-cutting,  Architec- 
tural Drawing,  Industrial  Physics,  Applied  Mechanics,  Machines,  Drawing,  Analytical 
Chemistry,  Industrial  Chemistry,  Architecture,  General  Metallurgy  of  Iron,  Technology, 
Hydraulic  Works,  Design  Work. 

Shape  our  plans  for  the  accomplishment  of  a  school  like  this,  and  we  shall  soon  have 
a  Mechanics'  School,  de  facto,  which  our  city  so  much  requires  and  our  apprentices  and 
mechanics  so  much  need,  and  our  public  free  schools  will  not  interfere  with  our  operations, 
nor  retard  our  progress. 

I  am  aware  that  some  of  our  members  are  in  favor  of  continuing  our  school,  or  con- 
verting it  into  a  young  ladies'  high  school.  It  cannot  be  expected,  therefore,  of  those 
who  have  their  hearts  fixed  on  such  a  system,  that  they  will  favor  the  idea  of  a  Polytech- 
nic School.  But  I  would  inquire  of  those  members,  what  the  Mechanics'  Society  have  to 
do  with  a  young  ladies'  fashionable  high  school  ? 

It  is  said,  by  a  prominent  member  of  the  Society  and  a  prominent  member  of  the 
School  Committee,  that  the  name  "mechanic"  is  very  much  against  our  success  in  the 
business,  not  a  charity,  of  a  young  ladies'  school.  And  his  reasoning  and  conclusions  are 
undoubtedly  correct ;  if  so,  it  amounts  to  positive  evidence  that  we  are,  as  well  as  our 
country,  traveling  from  or  endeavoring  to  separate  from  the  great  principles  which  formed 
the  basis  of  our  Association,  that  of  elevating  the  laboring  mechanic. 

The  philanthropic  women  of  the  city  should  come  together  also,  and  lay  the  founda- 
tion for  a  Young  Ladies'  Industrial  School,  on  a  similar  plan  as  suggested,  in  reference  to 
a  Mechanics'  Polytechnic  Institution  for  young  men. 


MECHANICS     AND     TRADESMEN,  337 

As  to  a  young  ladies'  fashionable  high  school,  we  have  too  many  already,  and  so  high 
that  good  common  sense  seldom,  if  ever,  reaches  them. 

It  is  high  time  that  the  industrial  girls  should  have  an  institution  in  which  they  might 
be  educated,  in  connection  with  a  knowledge  of  art,  which  would  prepare  them  for  useful 
and  honorable  lives,  instead  of  night-walkers  in  our  streets  and  inmates  of  the  corrupting 
dens  of  our  city.  In  this  suggestion,  a  great  field  is  opened  for  the  philanthropist,  and 
our  Society  could  not  do  a  nobler  act  than  to  induce  the  wives  and  daughters  of  its 
members  to  embark  in  the  glorious  undertaking  of  establishing  on  a  large  scale  a  female 
school,  in  which  the  poor  girls  of  our  city  might  be  educated  and  instructed  in  the  various 
arts,  through  which  they  would  be  enabled  to  obtain  an  honorable  and  comfortable 
subsistence. 

As  with  very  rich  men,  so  with  rich  societies,  without  enterprise  (which  is  rarely  pos- 
sessed by  either),  they  do  the  least  for  the  country  and  the  least  for  humanity. 

Considering  the  means  and  the  talents  of  this  Society,  it  is  less  known  than  any  other 
association  in  the  world. 

There  are  other  associations,  with  little  or  no  means,  and  some  of  them  engaged  in 
similar  pursuits  as  our  own,  which  are  acquiring  a  prominency  in  our  city,  and,  from 
present  appearances,  are  destined  ultimately  to  excel  our  efforts,  and  our  Society  will  be 
left  far  in  the  background,  notwithstanding  our  resources  and  capabilities. 

Some  of  these  institutions  are  presenting  the  public  with  far  more  attractive  lectures, 
and  attract  far  more  attention  without  means,  or,  rather,  without  money,  than  we  do  with 
money.    Why  is  it  ? 

It  is  because  their  labor  and  their  energy  is  by  far  the  better  capital  to  them  than  our 
Society's  money  is  to  them  without  energy.  And  their  labor  and  energy  will  do  far  more 
for  the  rising  generation  and  the  country  than  will  our  accumulation  of  gold  and  houses. 

We  hear  of  other  associations  and  societies  celebrating  their  anniversaries,  and  see 
glowing  accounts  of  their  orations  and  festivities,  but  not  a  word  from  the  Mechanics  and 
Tradesmen's  Society. 

In  reference  to  this  neglected  branch  of  the  Society,  I  would  recommend  that  we 
also  celebrate  its  anniversary  with  an  oration  and  such  other  festivities  is  the  members,  in 
their  wisdom,  may  think  proper. 

I  am  confident  that  there  is  no  society  in  the  city  of  New- York  that  is  better 
entitled,  and  more  worthy  of  a  conspicuous  place  in  the  hearts  of  the  people,  taking  into 
consideration  its  antiquity  and  objects,  than  the  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen's. 

The  subject  of  removal  up-town,  and  the  erection  of  an  edifice  suitable  for  the  pur- 
poses of  the  Society,  and  the  sale  of  the  Park  Place  house,  have  occupied  some  portion  of 
our  thoughts,  and  been  the  means  of  some  action  on  the  part  of  the  Society  during  the 
past  year.  But,  since  the  explosion  of  the  speculative  bubble  of  this  country  and  on  the  . 
continent  of  Europe,  those  questions  have  again  settled  down  to  their  original  quietude  — 
and,  from  present  appearances,  there  to  remain  for  some  time  to  come. 

The  last  indication  on  the  part  of  the  Society  seemed  to  favor  the  proposition  to 
again  lease  the  Park  Place  property,  and  to  purchase  the  adjoining  lot  on  Broadway; 
although  no  action  was  had  in  reference  to  this  purchase,  but,  from  the  interchange  of 


338 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


ideas  among  the  members,  it  seemed  to  favor  this  idea — and  from  that  I  gather  this 
inferential  conclusion. 

The  adjoining  lot,  together  with  what  we  now  have,  would  make  fifty  feet  on  Broad- 
way, extending  one  hundred  feet  to  where  it  unites  with  the  Society's  original  lot  of  one 
hundred  feet  square  on  Crosby  street-.  This  additional  lot  would  afford  the  Society  room 
on  Broadway  for  quite  a  conspicuous  front,  if  they  thought  proper  to  build  where  we  now 
are,  and  the  one  hundred  feet  square  in  the  rear  would  afford  quite  a  commodious  lecture- 
room,  besides  greater  facilities  for  our  libraries,  reading-rooms,  and  picture  galleries,  and 
school,  should  the  Society  think  proper  to  commence  laying  the  foundation  for  a 
Polytechnic  Institution. 

In  a  financial  point  of  view,  it  seems  to  me  that  the  Society  should  purchase  the  lot 
adjoining,  if  it  can  be  had  at  a  fair  valuation.  This  would  add  (in  my  opinion)  very  much 
to  the  value  of  our  present  property. 

There  are  many  advantages  which  seem  to  favor  our  present  location,  providing  we 
can  purchase  the  adjoining  lot  on  Broadway.  The  width  of  the  city  at  this  point,  in  con- 
nection with  the  various  stage  routes  and  railroads,  makes  it  now,  and  will  be  for  some 
time  to  come,  a  very  central  location. 

An  attractive  lecture-room  on  the  Crosby  street  lot  at  this  locality  could  be  made  to 
net  the  Society  more  money  (besides  having  it  occasionally  for  its  own  purposes)  than  it 
now  does,  and  from  sources  far  more  congenial  to  our  feelings,  and  vastly  more  com- 
patible with  the  objects  and  interests- of  the  Society.  These  are  our  conclusions  with 
reference  to  availability,  economy,  and  income. 

But  these  views  do  not  cover  all  that  might  be  said,  nor  all  we  should  desire  and  aim 
to  attain,  nor  what  the  mechanics  of  New- York  richly  deserve.  And  should  the  citizens  of 
this  city  consider  their  obligations  to  the  mechanic,  they  would  convey  to  them  Madison 
Square,  or  some  other  plot  of  ground  equally  eligible  for  our  purposes  and  the  interest  of 
the  rising  industrial  classes,  and  contribute  largely  toward  defraying  the  expenses  of  erect- 
ing a  temple  to  be  dedicated  to  art  and  science,  with  special  reference  to  the  ele-cation  of 
the  laborer. 

I  mean  by  this  that  we  should  not  think  of  removing  up-town  with  limited  ideas  nor 
with  contracted  views.  The  mechanics  of  New- York  are  entitled  to  an  edifice  equal  to 
any  in  the  world ;  and  the  apprentices  and  the  productive  interest  of  the  city  demand 
that  this  temple  should  be  embellished  with  all  the  most  approved  apparatus  for  the 
experimental  demonstration  of  the  various  sciences  (and  their  application  to  the  productive 
pursuits  of  the  country),  and  crowned  with  an  observatory  and  telescope  unequaled  by 
any  now  in  use. 

To  accomplish  this,  the  Society  have  only  to  resolve  to  do  it,  and  what  we  lack  in 
talents  and  means  will  be  made  up,  I  have  no  doubt,  by  the  citizens  of  New- York.  There 
are  many  talented,  enterprising  men  and  women  in  this  city  who  are  waiting  to  embark  in 
this  noble  enterprise.  Accomplish  this,  and  it  will  be  the  pride  and  honor  of  our  city  and 
our  whole  country.  And  the  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen's  Society  of  the  city  of  New-York 
will  rear  a  monument  as  lasting  as  history,  and  as  sacred  as  humanity !    Shall  we  not, 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


339 


when  nature  invites  us,  and  all  heaven  calls  to  us,  to  begin  the  great  work  of  man's 
redemption ! 

One  thought  relative  to  the  principle  that  should  govern  us  in  our  deliberations,  and  I 
shall  leave  these  suggestions  for  your  consideration  and  wisdom.  The  principle  to  which  I 
refer  is  order;  and  it  is  a  principle  that  reigns  throughout  the  universe.  Yes,  could  we 
mount  the  wings  of  infinity,  and  be  carried  back  into  the  depths  of  the  past,  or  could  we 
be  borne  away  through  the  interminable  series  of  eternity  into  the  bosom  of  the  future, 
there  we  should  behold  order.  Here  we  behold  it  in  the  mineral,  in  the  vegetable,  and  in 
the  formation  of  the  animal,  and  in  the  physical  structure  of  man ;  and  we  feel  it  in 
hunger  and  in  thirst,  in  respiration  and  in  the  pulsation  of  the  heart ;  and  we  see  it  in  life 
and  in  death ;  and,  by  the  aid  of  the  telescope,  we  behold  it  in  the  stars,  in  the  revolving 
of  -planets,  revolving  of  suns  and  systems  of  suns  (that  light  up  the  vault  of  heaven), 
developing  harmony,  evolving  truth,  and  conveying  love  to  all ! 

Thus  be  it  with  us. 


INAUGURAL  ADDRESS  OF  PRESIDENT  JOHN  WIGHT. 
Delivered  January  8th,  1861. 

Brothers  :  For  the  honor  you  have  conferred  upon  me,  in  electing  me  to  the 
position  I  am  now  about  to  occupy,  I  return  you  my  sincere  thanks.  I  can  pretend  to 
but  little  experience  in  the  duties  of  the  office,  but  I  have  the  honor  and  welfare  of  the 
Society  at  heart,  and  can  promise  you  that  I  shall  earnestly  endeavor  to  promote  them. 

Among  those  who  have  preceded  me  it  has  been  customary,  on  taking  the  chair,  to 
offer  some  suggestions  relative  to  the  condition  and  operations  of  the  Society  ;  and  while 
the  present  occasion,  perhaps,  requires  no  extended  remarks,  I  do  not  feel  at  liberty 
to  omit  the  custom. 

The  annual  reports  have  shown  you  that  the  labors  of  the  various  committees  during 
the  past  year  have  been  attended,  in  the  main,  with  reasonable  success,  and  that  the 
Society  is  in  a  highly  prosperous  condition.  Our  finances  have  been  managed  with  care, 
and  we  have  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  many  aged  brothers,  widows,  and  orphans 
have  been  rendered  more  comfortable  by  the  ministrations  of  our  Pension  Committee. 

The  classes  under  the  direction  of  the  School  Committee,  for  the  instruction  of 
apprentices  in  drawing,  mathematics,  and  other  branches  of  learning  connected  with  the 
mechanic  arts,  are  but  a  new  undertaking,  and  the  committee  have  not  yet  had  time  to 
acquire  the  experience  necessary  to  render  them  all  that  we  desire.  But  some  advance  has 
been  made.  In  the  classes  first  established  there  are  two  hundred  and  ninety-seven  pupils,- 
who  have  made  good  progress,  and  other  classes  are  about  to  be  established.  We  have, 
therefore,  no  cause  to  be  discouraged,  but,  on  the  contrary,  may  reasonably  hope  that  this 
school  will  soon  become  a  prominent  and  useful  feature  in  our  operations. 


34o 


GENERAL      SOCIETY  OF 


The  library  is  in  a  highly  satisfactory  condition.  During  the  last  five  or  six  years  the 
number  of  volumes  and  of  readers  has  been  much  increased,  the  books  are  generally  in 
good  order,  additional  accommodations  have  been  provided  for  readers,  the  appearance  of 
the  rooms  has  been  improved,  and  the  attendance  during  the  evening  is  generally  large. 
We  have  reason,  therefore,  to  congratulate  ourselves  that  the  fostering  aid  of  the  Society 
has  been  usefully  applied. 

The  want  of  a  suitable  lecture-room  of  our  own  is  a  serious  disadvantage ;  but  the 
lectures  have  usually  been  well  attended,  and  appear  to  afford  satisfaction  to  the  families 
of  the  members,  which  is,  perhaps,  the  best  evidence  of  the  judicious  manner  in  which  the 
duties  of  the  Literary  and  Scientific  Committee  have  been  performed. 

Among  the  events  which  have  occurred  during  the  past  year,  the  memories  of  our 
brothers  who  have  passed  away  demand  at  least  the  tribute  of  passing  notice.  Their 
number  has  been  greater  than  usual.  Fifteen  are  recorded  on  our  minutes,  and  probably 
there  are  others  of  whom  we  have  not  heard.  Among  the  former  was  our  late  President, 
the  only  instance  in  which  our  Society  has  lost  its  presiding  officer  by  death. 

In  turning  our  attention  from  the  past  to  the  future,  and  considering  what  may  be  the 
objects  of  our  attention  during  the  coming  year,  I  have  nothing  new  to  propose.  Let  me 
rather  urge  upon  you  the  importance  of  zeal  and  energy  in  the  pursuit  of  those  objects  in 
which  we  are  already  engaged.  Our  new  school  enterprise  needs  careful  and  judicious 
management.  It  opens  before  us  an  important  field  of  usefulness,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped 
that  the  committee  to  whom  it  is  entrusted,  and  to  some  of  whom  it  owes  its  origin,  will 
give  it  that  persevering  attention  which  the  Society  has  a  right  to  expect,  and  the  fruits  of 
which  will  be  their  abundant  reward. 

Our  library  we  may  now  regard  with  just  pride.  Its  organization  and  working  appear 
to  be  excellent,  and  we  hopefully  anticipate  the  time  when  the  Society  shall  be  in  a 
condition  to  supply  the  means  of  still  further  extending  its  usefulness.  I  may  here  remark 
that  there  is  a  mode  of  doing  this,  which,  in  my  opinion,  will  more  readily  promote  the 
objects  of  the  institution  than,  perhaps,  any  other;  and  that  is  the  establishment  of 
reading-rooms  in  different  parts  of  the  city.  The  city  is  now  so  large,  that  the  distance 
from  different  points  to  any  central  one  is  a  serious  inconvenience  to  those  who  cannot 
afford  to  ride,  and  no  doubt  deters  very  many  from  availing  themselves  of  the  privileges 
we  have  here  provided  for  them. 

This  is  by  no  means  a  new  plan.  It  has  been  fully  tried  by  the  Mercantile  Library 
Association,  and  has  been  attended  with  no  considerable  trouble  or  difficulty.  That 
institution  sends  daily,  from  its  library  in  Astor  Place  to  its  room  in  Liberty  street,  such 
books  as  are  called  for,  and  the  arrangement  has  proved  highly  advantageous.  One  of 
these  rooms  might  be  located  on  the  east  side  of  the  city,  perhaps  in  Grand  or  Houston 
street;  another  on  the  north  side,  near  Fourteenth  or  Twenty-third  street;  and  a  third  in 
some  central  position ;  but  perhaps  two  would  suffice  for  a  time.  I  need  not  enter  upon 
the  details  of  this  plan,  as  the  committee,  with  the  experience  of  others  before  them,  will 
easily  carry  it  into  operation.  The  cost,  I  think,  would  not  exceed  six  or  seven  hundred 
dollars. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


341 


In  relation  to  the  duties  of  the  Literary  and  Scientific  Committee,  I  shall  make  but  a 
single  suggestion,  which  is  that,  in  my  opinion,  our  lectures  should  be  of  a  higher  and 
more  instructive  character  than  has  been  usual  for  some  years  past.  But  perhaps  we 
cannot  be  satisfied  in  this  particular  until  we  have  a  suitable  lecture-room  of  our  own. 

Two  subjects  remain  to  which  I  desire  to  call  your  attention.  One  has  already  been 
referred  to  the  Finance  Committee,  relative  to  the  occupancy  of  these  rooms.  Upon  the 
discontinuance  of  our  school,  the  Society  granted  to  the  former  principals  the  use  of  the 
rooms  during  its  pleasure.  We  then  supposed  that  this  privilege  would  be  desired  only 
until  the  principals  should  have  had  time  to  organize  schools  of  their  own. 

The  male  school  was  discontinued  soon  after,  but  the  female  department  has  occupied 
the  rooms  and  used  the  furniture,  books,  stove,  and  piano  for  a  period  of  nearly  two  years. 
It  is  proper,  therefore,  that  we  should  consider  whether  we  can  safely  permit  our  rooms  to 
be  used  for  any  purposes  except  those  of  the  Society,  or  such  as  will  yield  us  an  income, 
which  may  be  employed  for  the  purposes  authorized  by  our  charter. 

Now,  as  I  understand  the  charter,  our'present  practice  is  directly  at  variance  with  its 
provisions.  Section  vm.  (page  10)  enacts  that,  "in  case  the  Society  shall  at  anytime 
apply  its  moneys  except  as  therein  provided,  said  corporation  shall  cease."  But,  as  this 
subject  has  been  referred  to  a  committee,  it  is  unnecessary  to  consider  it  further  at 
present. 

The  other  subject  to  which  I  refer,  is  the  selection  of  a  new  site  for  our  institution. 
This  has  heretofore  occupied  our  attention,  and  in  regard  to  it  there  has  been  some  diver- 
sity of  opinion  ;  some  of  our  members  preferring  a  location  in  the  upper  part  of  the  city, 
while  others  are  opposed  to  one  higher  up  than  Fourteenth  street,  and  a  third  party  think 
it  better  to  remain  where  we  are.  Should  the  subject  be  again  brought  before  us,  we  shall, 
perhaps,  more  easily  arrive  at  a  satisfactory  conclusion  if  we  first  determine  what  sort  of 
building  the  purposes  of  the  Society  require.  We  may  then  discover  that  a  smaller  plot 
than  several  of  those  we  have  had  under  consideration  would  be  sufficient,  and  can  better 
determine  upon  its  size  and  shape.  Among  our  wants  must  be  enumerated  a  lecture- 
room  large  enough  to  accommodate,  say,  fifteen  hundred  people,  a  smaller  room  for  the 
meetings  of  the  Society,  a  library-room  of  sufficient  size  to  provide  for  t'^e  gradual  increase 
of  the  library,  with  adjoining  reading-rooms,  a  large  room  for  the  general  exercises  of  the 
school,  with  contiguous  class-rooms,  a  few  committee-rooms  and  offices,  and,  perhaps, 
accommodations  for  a  janitor.  By  thus  definitely  ascertaining  in  advance  what  are  our 
wants,  we  shall  be  better  able  to  combine  economy  and  convenience  in  the  choice  of  a 
location. 

With  these  remarks,  and  earnestly  hoping  that  we  may  continue  in  those  harmonious 
and  friendly  relations  which  have  rendered  our  past  intercourse  so  agreeable,  and  that  our 
noble  Society  may  continue  to  grow  in  prosperity  and  usefulness,  I  now  proceed  to  the 
discharge  of  the  duties  you  have  assigned  me. 


342 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


INAUGURAL  ADDRESS  OF  PRESIDENT  NOAH  WORRALL. 

Delivered  January  14TH,  1862. 

Before  taking  my  seat,  permit  me  to  say  that  I  enter  upon  the  duties  of  the  honorable 
position  to  which  you  have  this  evening  assigned  me,  with  great  diffidence.  This  chair  has 
been  filled  for  more  than  three-quarters  of  a  century  past  by  some  of  the  best  and  wisest 
men  our  city  could  produce,  and,  while  I  follow  in  their  steps,  I  fear  you  may  be  disap- 
pointed in  my  not  reaching  the  standard  of  my  illustrious  predecessors ;  but,  having  the 
advantage  of  a  beaten  track  to  guide  me,  I  hope  by  your  kind  indulgence  in  some  measure 
to  succeed. 

I  do  not  find  it  necessary  to  enter  into  a  detailed  statement  of  the  affairs  of  the 
Society.  They  are  laid  before  you  in  annual  statements  of  your  committees,  and  a 
condensed  and  full  report  of  the  Finance  Committee,  which  will  be  printed  and  circulated 
at  the  next  meeting.  I  heartily  congratulate  you  on  the  height  of  prosperity  to  which  our 
Society  has  attained.  By  the  prudent  foresight  of  those  who  in  bygone  years  have  had  the 
management  of  the  affairs  of  the  Society,  and  by  the  blessing  of  a  kind  Providence  on  these 
efforts,  the  Society  is  not  only  unembarrassed  with  any  debt,  but  has  a  constantly  increasing 
surplus  fund,  which,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  may  be  invested  as  wisely  and  prudently  as  have  been 
the  former  investments  of  the  Society,  so  that  its  power  for  usefulness  may  be  each  year 
increasing. 

The  Pension  Committee  will  find  the  claims  upon  them  to  be  constantly  increasing,  and 
1  hope  by  your  liberality  they  will  never  be  obliged  to  reject  a  worthy  applicant  entitled  to 
relief,  but  by  increased  liberality,  according  to  the  means  of  the  Society,  they  may  com- 
fort and  cheer  the  unfortunate  and  destitute  aged  members,  their  widows  and  orphans. 

The  School  Committee  are  doing  a  good  work.  Thoy  are  Denefiting  a  class  in  whose 
welfare  this  Society  has  ever  taken  special  interest;  they  are  furnishing  the  apprentices  with 
the  opportunities  of  obtaining  instruction  and  information  which  they  cannot  procure 
elsewhere,  and  fitting  them  for  usefulness  and  making  them  intelligent  mechanics. 

If  I  may  judge  by  the  attendance  and  the  sentiment  expressed  by  the  members,  I 
should  say  the  lectures  under  the  Literary  and  Scientific  Committee  have  given  satisfaction, 
and  that  it  is  a  source  of  enjoyment  and  instruction  that  the  Society  are  not  disposed  to 
dispense  with  at  present,  and  the  announcement  of  the  extension  of  the  course  will  give 
pleasure  to  the  Society. 

The  Library,  the  most  notable  feature  of  our  Society,  if  I  may  be  permitted  to  venture 
an  opinion,  has  been  conducted  with  success  the  past  year.  A  considerable  addition  has 
been  made  to  the  catalogue  of  books,  and  there  has  been  added  to  its  readers  the  female 
operative  —  a  class  to  whom  its  benefits  can  not  be  over-rated.  The  readers  of  the  Library 
were  never  as  numerous,  and  they  are  daily  increasing. 

I  would  be  happy  to  see  the  Society  located  in  an  edifice  better  adapted  to  its  wants 
and  more  worthy  of  the  name  and  means  of  the  Society,  but  in  the  present  state  of 
affairs  I  have  no  recommendation  to  make. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


343 


I  thank  you,  gentlemen,  for  the  honor  you  have  done  me,  and  it  shall  be  my  highest 
ambition  to  perform  the  duties  of  the  office  to  which  you  have  elected  me  to  your  satisfac- 
tion, and  I  hope  the  year  upon  which  we  enter  may  be  one  of  continued  prosperity  and 
success  to  the  Society  and  to  you  all  individually. 


INAUGURAL  ADDRESS  OF  PRESIDENT  MATTHIAS  BLOODGOOD. 

Delivered  January  13TH,  1863. 

Brothers  :  In  accepting  the  position  of  your  presiding  officer,  with  which  you  have 
honored  me,  it  is  proper  that  I  should  return  you  my  thanks, —  a  position  that  has  been  so 
ably  filled,  for  many  years  past,  by  others  of  our  worthy  brethren.  While  I  can  scarcely  lay 
claim  to  the  ability  of  many  who  have  preceded  me,  I  assure  you  that  I  shall  devote  to 
your  interests  my  best  endeavors,  and  shall  rely  upon  your  kind  indulgence  for  any  short- 
comings in  the  satisfactory  discharge  of  the  duties  appertaining  to  my  new  office. 

As  custom  has  made  it  incumbent  upon  the  President-elect  to  lay  before  the  Society 
his  views  upon  entering  on  his  duties,  the  following  remarks  have  suggested  themselves  to 
my  mind : 

History  tells  us  that  in  all  ages  the  best  men  of  their  respective  times  have  been 
planning  and  laboring  for  the  establishment  of  institutions  for  their  personal  benefit  and 
that  of  their  posterity.  The  rule  still  holds  good ;  and  those  noble-minded  men  of  their 
own  day  and  generation,  our  elder  brothers,  who  founded  this  institution  of  ours,  will  long 
be  remembered  with  gratitude  and  love.  They  foresaw  the  comfort  and  blessings  that 
would  accrue  to  the  unfortunate  of  our  profession  by  their  actions;  they  laid  the  founda- 
tions deep  and  strong ;  and  we  now  sit  beneath  the  roof  of  the  goodly  superstructure. 
Over  seventy  years  ago  they  associated  themselves  together  under  the  name  of  the 
General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New-York,  including  in  its 
membership  all  our  various  artisans.  Their  first  care  was  to  minister  to  the  physical  wants 
of  its  unfortunate  members.  Its  history  has  been  one  of  brotherly  love  and  kindness,  and 
its  operations  have  been  carefully  attended.  Increasing  means  have  brought  increased 
liberality,  and  I  trust  that  this,  our  first  great  duty,  will  be  faithfully  and  religiously  ful- 
filled.   Judging  the  future  by  the  past,  I  have  no  fears  for  the  result. 

As  the  means  of  the  Society  increased,  its  members  sought  further  the  moral  culture 
of  their  children  and  the  apprentices  confided  to  their  care,  by  the  establishment  of  a  daily 
school — a  want  at  the  time  greatly  felt,  and  which  their  action  fully  met,  the  school  hav- 
ing been  one  of  the  best  in  our  city.  A  few  years  since  its  use  was  superseded  by  the 
rapid  increase  of  our  public  schools,  and  it  was  discontinued,  having  performed  its  mission.* 
The  school  for  architectural,  free-hand,  and  machine  drawing  has  since  been  founded, 
increasing  in  its  interests  and  the  numbers  of  its  pupils.  It  promises  to  be  of  great  service 
to  the  youth  of  our  city  and  an  honor  to  the  Society,  and  I  recommend  it  heartily  to  your 
fostering  care. 


344 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


With  the  daily  school  was  also  founded  the  nucleus  of  the  Apprentices'  Library, 
designed  to  furnish  gratuitously  suitable  reading  matter  to  the  apprentices  of  our  city,  the 
members  of  the  Society  and  their  families.  Through  the  donations  of  friends,  added  to  the 
liberality  of  the  Society,  we  have  been  able  largely  to  increase  the  numbers  of  its  volumes, 
and  to  extend  its  benefits  to  others  than  apprentices  and  members.  The  books  have  been 
selected  with  great  care  for  their  intrinsic  worth,  and  they  have  been  read  during  the  past 
year  by  more  than  twenty-nine  hundred  readers,  and  their  number  is  annually  increasing. 
The  accommodations  provided  by  the  Society  for  the  library  are  now  insufficient,  the 
shelves  are  filled  to  their  capacity,  and  we  have  many  volumes  for  whicli  we  have  no  shelf- 
room.  I  recommend  to  your  early  consideration  the  want  of  sufficient  space,  so  that 
ample  room  may  be  furnished  for  its  accommodation,  equal  to  what  are  considered  its 
prospective  usefulness. 

That  branch  of  the  Society's  operations  in  charge  of  the  Literary  and  Scientific  Com- 
mittee, who  have  the  care  of  furnishing  to  the  members  and  their  families  a  course  of 
lectures  during  the  winter  season,  has  become  deservedly  popular;  they  have  gathered  a 
larger  concourse  of  our  members  than  usually  meet  together,  giving  all  an  opportunity  of 
improving  their  acquaintance  with  each  other,  and  at  the  same  time  while  away  an  agree- 
able hour  in  making  additions  to  our  stock  of  literary  and  scientific  knowledge,  or  in 
listening  to  a  piece  of  eloquence  from  the  lips  of  some  finished  orator.  The  value  of  such 
influences  upon  the  mature  years  of  manhood,  and  especially  upon  the  developing 
intellects  of  the  young,  cannot  be  too  highly  estimated. 

And  now,  in  conclusion,  let  me  again  return  to  you  my  kind  acknowledgments  for 
your  flattering  preference,  and  let  us  remember  that  we  stand  the  responsible  representa- 
tives of  our  elder  brethren,  the  founders  of  this  institution.  To  those  who  are  to  come 
after  us,  let  us  remember  that,  as  by  their  acts  we  judge  our  predecessors,  so  shall  they 
judge  us.  It  behooves  us  to  take  care  that  in  our  hands  the  trust  sees  no  harm;  that,  as 
we  have  received  ic  in  the  fullness  of  its  usefulness  and  prosperity,  so  may  we  hand  it 
down  unimpaired  to  our  successors,  that  they  may  call  us  worthy  representatives  of  the 
most  worthy  founders. 

So  may  it  be  ! 


INAUGURAL  ADDRESS  OF  PRESIDENT   GEORGE  R.  JACKSON. 
Delivered  January  12th,  1S64. 

Brethren  ok  the  Mechanics'  Society  :  In  assuming  the  duties  of  your  presiding 
officer,  1  feel  my  inability  to  satisfy  all ;  but,  with  an  earnest  desire  to  act  impartially,  I 
throw  myself  on  your  kindness  —  and,  should  I  err,  consider  it  from  the  head,  not 
the  heart. 

I  think  the  members  of  the  Society  must  have  marked  the  improved  tone  of  fraternal 
feeling  which  has  prevailed  during  the  past  year,  which  is  alike  honorable  to  yourselves 
and  reflects  credit  on  the  impartial  administration  of  my  worthy  predecessor.    We  should 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


345 


exert  every  effort  to  make  our  meetings  harmonious,  which  tends  to  increase  the  interest 
of  the  members  in  our  welfare,  and  we  should  avoid  all  unnecessary  and  acrimonious 
debates,  which  only  tend  to  lessen  the  same.  When  we  look  around  and  see  so  many  of 
our  members  who  have  passed  the  meridian  of  life,  whose  locks  are  whitened  with  the 
snows  of  many  winters,  and  we  hear  our  worthy  Secretary  record  from  time  to  time  the 
exit  of  one  of  our  brethren,  it  should  remind  us  of  the  unerring  flight  of  time.  So  let  us 
spend  the  evening  of  our  days  in  acts  of  brotherly  kindness  —  and  if  we  can  lighten  the 
burden  of  any  of  our  brethren,  let  us  do  it  cheerfully. 

It  has  become  a  custom  for  the  presiding  officer  to  present  his  views  upon  assuming 
the  chair.  The  able  reports  of  my  predecessors  have  taken  so  wide  a  range,  there  is  little 
left  for  me  to  comment  on.  From  the  peculiar  organization  of  our  Society,  there  is  little 
for  the  President  to  do,  except  preside  at  your  meetings. 

The  committees,  when  full,  consist  of  forty-nine  members  —  a  much  larger  number 
than  the  average  attendance  of  our  members  at  the  general  meeting  —  and  the  duties  are 
so  divided  that  they  do  not  interfere  with  each  other.  By  this  wise  provision  the  general 
meeting  is  relieved  of  a  great  amount  of  work.  I  need  not  remind  you  of  the  faithful 
performance  of  the  duties  of  your  Pension  Committee ;  their  reports  from  time  to  time 
attest  their  industry  and  fidelity. 

The  report  of  your  Library  Committee  is  encouraging.  Increased  facilities  for  extend- 
ing information  to  the  young  we  should  foster  with  a  liberal  hand.  The  unwritten  history 
of  the  Apprentices'  Library  would  make  a  wonderful  volume.  I  greatly  rejoice  in  the 
increased  interest  taken  in  our  evening  drawing-schools.  This  is  one  of  our  most  laudable 
efforts.  May  the  instructions  received  there  be  the  means  of  elevating  the  youthful 
mechanics  of  our  country,  for  there  is  a  great  want  of  skillful  and  intelligent  mechanics, 
and  in  some  branches  of  business  they  have  to  depend  entirely  on  our  foreign  population. 
I  cheerfully  endorse  the  recommendations  of  the  School  Committee  in  having  a  series  of 
familiar  lectures  on  mechanism,  chemistry,  and  other  subjects  for  the  benefit  of  the  appren- 
tices of  our  city,  and  recommend  it  to  be  carried  into  effect  at  an  early  day. 

The  important  duties  of  the  Finance  Committee  have  been  conducted  with  prudence 
and  economy.  Upon  the  faithful  discharge  of  the  duties  of  this  committee  depends,  in  a 
great  measure,  the  prosperity  of  our  Society. 

The  lectures  furnished  by  the  Literary  and  Scientific  Committee  have  been  very 
successful,  and  the  increased  attendance  has  attested  their  popularity. 

In  the  form  of  initiation  to  new  members  the  following  language  occurs:  "  A  school 
has  been  established  in  which  may  be  educated  the  children  of  poor  and  deceased 
members,  whose  condition  renders  our  assistance  necessary."  As  the  school  has  been 
discontinued,  I  would  recommend  the  above  paragraph  be  stricken  out,  and  evening 
drawing-school  inserted,  which  would  read  thus  :  "  A  library  and  reading-room,  also  an 
evening  drawing-school  have  been  added,  designed  to  improve  and  elevate  the  character 
of  the  apprentices  of  our  city." 

I  would  also  recommend  the  foundation  of  a  museum  of  models,  mechanical  inven- 
tions, and  objects  of  natural  curiosity,  which  would  be  of  great  interest  to  the  young.  It 
would  cost  the  Society  nothing.    Every  member  could  contribute  something  toward  it, 


346 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


and  our  young  men,  as  they  grow  up  and  prosper,  would  remember  and  contribute  toward 
an  institution  from  which  they  have  received  so  many  advantages. 

I  would  also  recommend  an  alteration  in  the  notices  to  members  of  the  time  of  meet- 
ing. One  hour  after  sunset  is  indefinite,  and  we  do  not  observe  it.  There  should  be  a 
specified  hour. 

The  Treasurer  reports  our  finances  in  a  flourishing  condition,  notwithstanding  the 
extra  expense  of  altering  the  library-room.  We  have  added  to  our  funds  between  five  and 
six  thousand  dollars.  For  more  detailed  statements  I  refer  you  to  the  printed  reports, 
which  will  be  ready  by  our  next  regular  meeting. 

In  conclusion,  brethren,  I  would  recommend  generous  appropriations  to  all  our 
committees,  as  they  are  the  best  judges  of  their  wants,  and,  from  my  personal  observations, 
their  only  strife  is  to  insure  the  prosperity  of  our  Society. 

I  thank  you,  brethren,  for  your  kindness  and  good-will  in  elevating  me  to  this 
honorable  office,  and  I  will  use  my  best  endeavors  to  preserve  the  harmonious  and 
brotherly  feeling  which  should  at  all  times  prevail. 


INAUGURAL  ADDRESS  OF  PRESIDENT  JOHN  T.  CONOVER. 
Delivered  January  9m,  1866. 

Brethren  of  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  : 

I  return  you  my  hearty  and  sincere  thanks  for  the  honor  that  you  have  conferred  on 
me  by  electing  me  as  the  President  of  this  ancient  and  honorable  institution,  and  as  your 
presiding  officer  for  the  ensuing  year.  I  appreciate  very  highly  the  distinction  that  you 
have  conferred  on  me,  and  shall  endeavor  to  merit  your  confidence  by  an  impartial  and 
faithful  performance  of  the  duties  of  your  presiding  officer.  It  shall  be  my  earnest  effort 
to  facilitate  the  discharge  of  business,  to  preserve  decorum  and  harmony ;  and  I  trust 
that  I  may  rely  on  you  to  help  and  sustain  me  in  accomplishing  these  objects,  and,  if  I 
should  commit  any  errors,  to  treat  them  with  forbearance  and  indulgence,  believing  that 
they  come  from  the  head  and  not  the  heart.  You  all  know  very  well  that  it  is  no  part 
of  mine  to  make  a  speech,  so  I  shall  not  detain  you  with  any  lengthy  remarks.  The 
organization  and  the  workings  of  this  Society  are  so  systematized  and  plain,  the  reports  of 
the  committees  so  regular  and  thorough,  that  each  and  all  of  the  members  attending  here 
know  all  of  the  details  and  the  business  of  the  Society  just  as  well  and  as  correctly  as  your 
officers.  In  fact,  I  think  any  member  on  the  floor  has  more  power  than  the  presiding 
officer;  for,  according  to  the  by-laws,  all  he  has  to  do  is  to  preserve  order  and  vote  when 
there  shall  be  a  tie,  which  occurs  very  seldom. 

From  the  annual  reports  which  you  have  heard  read,  we  certainly  can  congratulate 
ourselves  that  our  Society,  in  a  financial  point  of  view,  is  in  a  prosperous  condition. 
And  here  let  me  say,  that  although  somewhat  late,  yet  as  this  is  the  first  annual  meeting 
and  election  which  we  have  held  since  war  in  our  midst  has  ceased  and  peace  has  been 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


347 


proclaimed  through  all  the  length  and  breadth  of  our  land,  that  we,  as  a  Society,  might 
offer  up  our  humble  thanks  to  the  Supreme  Ruler  of  the  Universe  for  the  many  and  con- 
tinued benefits  which  we,  as  a  Society,  have  received  at  His  hands,  and  after  the  long  and 
destructive  war  that  we  have  gone  through,  we  are  enabled  by  His  blessing  to  sit  down  in 
peace  and  prosperity  under  our  old  and  well-tried  flag. 

The  report  of  the  Finance  Committee,  to  whom  is  entrusted  the  charge  of  the  build- 
ings and  lands  of  the  Society,  shows  that  they  look  well  to  the  interests  of  the  Society. 

The  report  of  the  Committee  on  Pensions  shows  that  they  have  performed  their 
duties  of  benevolence  and  mercy  with  zeal  and  fidelity,  and  that  this  useful  and  important 
branch  of  the  Society  has  been  entrusted  to  good  and  competent  hands. 

The  report  of  the  School  Committee  shows  that  they  have  made  a  decided  advance, 
and  that  they  are  steadily  improving.  I  should  like  to  impress  on  this  committee  the 
importance  of  the  work  that  they  have  under  their  charge,  and  the  various  branches  and  the 
almost  unlimited  extent  of  usefulness  to  which  it  can  be  extended,  with  pride  to  the  Society 
and  certain  benefit  to  the  city ;  and  so  long  as  they  show  that  they  are  improving,  they 
need  not  feel  afraid  but  that  the  Society  will  support  them  in  their  laudable  undertakings. 

The  report  of  your  Library  Committee  shows  a  continued  and  a  large  increase  of  the 
numbers  of  its  readers.  These  have  increased  so  much  that,  notwithstanding  the  large 
and  munificent  appropriation  of  the  Society  to  this  successful  and  popular  branch  of  their 
usefulness,  the  committee  feel  that  it  will  be  almost  impossible  for  the  Society,  with  justice 
to  itself  and  the  wants  of  its  other  committees,  to  furnish  books  enough  to  keep  up  to  the 
demand  of  its  readers.  It  would  take  40,000  additional  volumes  at  present  to  place  the 
ratio  of  readers  and  books  on  the  same  footing  that  they  were  five  years  ago;  and  this 
committee,  without  having  any  mature  plan,  or  any  design  at  present  of  trying  or  asking 
anything  of  this  kind,  feel  that  if  the  readers  still  keep  increasing,  that  they  may  have  to 
try  and  raise  the  means  of  increasing  the  number  of  the  books  from  some  outside  source. 

The  Literary  and  Scientific  Committee  have  given  us  their  usual  course  of  lectures, 
and  the  crowded  rooms  and  the  attention  which  has  been  paid  to  them  are  the  best  proofs 
of  their  success.  But  I  would  ask  this  committee  whether  or  not  a  course  might  be  got 
up  every  year  on  subjects  connected  with  science  and  the  mechanic  arts,  to  which  the 
readers  of  the  library  and  the  scholars  might  be  admitted  ?    This  is  for  them  to  think  of. 

The  present  edition  of  the  by-laws  is  very  imperfect;  many  alterations  and 
additions  have  been  made  since  they  were  printed,  so  that  new  members,  and  but  very 
few  of  the  older  ones,  hardly  know  what  the  by-laws  are.  They  are  scattered  through  the 
minute-book  for  the  past  ten  years,  and  if  anything  should  happen  to  that  book  we  would 
not  have  any  copy  of  them.  I  would  suggest  to  the  Society  the  propriety  of  having  them 
collected  and  a  new  edition  printed. 

One  other  subject  and  I  have  done — and  this  is  an  important  one:  that  is,  whether 
this  is  the  proper  place  for  our  institution,  and  when  will  be  the  time  to  move.  Whatever 
I  may  say  will  only  be  my  own  views,  flung  out  so  as  to  set  some  more  of  you  to  thinking 
and  to  agitate  the  question. 

I  think  that,  with  the  march  of  business  upward,  that  this  place  will  soon  be  wanted 
for  business  purposes;  and,  when  it  is  wanted,  then  will  be  the  time  for  us  to  move,  if  it 


348 


GENERAL      SOCIETY  OF 


should  be  this  or  the  next  year.  I  think  we  should  sell  this  place,  and  keep  the  Park 
Place  property  as  an  investment  and  for  an  income.  Let  business  keep  moving  and 
shifting  as  much  as  it  may,  Broadway,  around  the  Park,  will  always  bring  high  rents  for 
offices.  As  to  where  we  should  locate,  that  is  a  more  difficult  point  to  decide.  We  have 
two  conflicting  interests  to  satisfy.  While  our  members  are  going  up  town,  so  that  Thirty- 
fourth  street  would  not  be  too  far  for  them,  our  readers  and  scholars  are  taking,  partly,  their 
places  down-town — so  that  what  was  once  their  residence  is  now  the  factory,  the  shop, 
and,  in  some  cases,  the  tenement.  These  factories  and  shops  supply  the  great  bulk  of  our 
readers  and  scholars.  Between  these  two  interests  my  judgment  has  always  been  the 
neighborhood  of  Fourteenth  street  and  Union  Square.  I  would  not  recommend  the 
Society  to  go  in  the  market  and  purchase  at  the  present  high  prices,  but  I  would  have 
them  think  where  will  be  the  most  suitable  location,  and  whenever  there  is  a  suitable 
piece  of  property  in  the  market  to  be  ready  and  purchase  it.  Wherever  you  may  purchase, 
you  must  remember  that  the  building  will  cost  as  much  in  an  out-of-the-way  location  as  in 
a  good  one ;  the  difference  is  in  the  cost  of  the  ground,  and  as  an  investment  the  best 
location  always  has  the  preference. 

Whenever  and  wherever  you  may  build,  I  never  want  to  see  this  Society  build  until 
they  have  made  up  their  minds  to  erect  a  building  that  will  be  the  pride  of  the  mechanics, 
an  ornament  to  the  city,  and  a  monument  of  the  mechanical  genius  and  skill  of  the  nine- 
teenth century. 

Again,  brethren,  I  thank  you  for  the  favor  you  have  conferred  on  me;  and  I  trust — 
and  it  shall  be  my  aim  —  to  so  conduct  myself  in  my  official  capacity  that  I  shall  carry 
with  me  your  confidence,  respect,  and  esteem. 


INAUGURAL   ADDRESS   OF   PRESIDENT   WADE    B.  WORRALL. 

Delivered  January  8th,  1867. 

I  have  considered  that  the  address  from  the  newly  installed  President  is  one  which 
would  come  with  a  better  grace"  from  your  retiring  officer.  A  review  of  the  workings  of 
the  Society  during  that  officer's  administration  seems  to  be  looked  for,  and  recommenda- 
tions are  usually  offered  which  his  experience  should  suggest  —  an  experience  which  he 
has  gained  in  his  official  routine.  The  incoming  officer  has  yet  to  go  through  two  of 
the  important  committees,  and  not  until  he  shall  have  gone  through  those  can  the  address, 
which  the  precedents  of  the  last  six  or  seven  years  lead  you  to  look  for,  be  made 
with  a  full  appreciation  of  all  its  bearings.  Some  of  my  older  friends  have  advised  me 
to  break  through  the  custom,  and  my  inclinations  would  lead  me  to  the  same  conclusion, 
only  for  the  opportunity  it  affords  me  to  thank  you  for  the  distinguished  mark  of  your 
confidence,  and  to  assure  you  how  deeply  sensible  I  am  of  the  honor  you  have  conferred 
upon  me.  When  I  consider  the  long  line  of  honored  names  that  have  graced  this  seat, 
I  almost  shrink  from  assuming  the  duties  which  your  kindness  has  imposed  upon  me. 
Had  you,  brothers,  entertained  the  same  diffidence  in  respect  to  my  ability  to  succeed 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


349 


them,  you  would  have  been  entertained  with  a  speech  from  some  brother  more  competent 
to  address  you  on  this  occasion.  Here  let  me  bespeak  a  continuance  of  the  kind  feeling 
which  has  placed  me  here — bear  with  my  short-comings.  I  shall  endeavor  to  do  my  best, 
and  with  your  forbearance  we  trust  for  a  pleasant  and  successful  administration. 

The  reports  have  been  presented,  and  it  has  been  a  proud  gratification  to  hear  each  of 
the  committees,  among  whom  the  different  interests  are  allotted,  successively  report  the 
flourishing  condition  of  the  offices  committed  to  their  respective  charges.  I  don't  propose 
to  go  into  a  detail  of  their  operations,  for  the  whole  will  be  spread  before  you  as  soon 
as  the  Finance  Committee  can  collate  them. 

How  little  dreamed  the  men  of  '85  that  the  small  and  humble  affair  of  their  creation, 
a  simple  society  of  mechanics  organized  in  a  small  community  not  larger  than  many  of  the 
suburban  places  which  now  modestly  rejoice  in  the  designation  of  a  village,  banded 
together  simply  for  mutual  relief  in  case  sickness  should  interfere  with  the  prosecution 
of  their  daily  toil  or  when  death  should  overtake  them  —  that  means  would  be  insured 
for  their  decent  interment.  How  little  dreamed  they,  in  their  small  beginnings,  of  the 
superstructure  that  was  to  rise  on  the  foundation  that  their  hands  were  then  laying. 
How  little  they  probably  imagined  that  upon  that  base  would  rise  an  institution  which, 
while  distributing  thousands  where  they  scarcely  hoped  for  hundreds  for  the  objects 
they  had  in  view  —  that  its  beneficence  was  to  be  extended  to  such  a  large  portion 
of  the  young  and  rising  community,  both  by  means  of  its  school  and,  its  still  more 
extended  sphere  of  usefulness  to  the  community  at  large,  by  means  of  its  library.  With 
what  satisfaction  they  would  have  contemplated  the  social  gathering  at  our  lectures ! 

It  is  still  our  primary  object  to  relieve  those  having  a  claim  upon  our  accumulated 
resources,  but  let  it  be  borne  in  mind,  in  apportioning  our  funds,  that  we  have  assumed 
the  same  obligation  to  the  apprentice  and  working-classes  of  this  city  as  we  have  to 
ourselves.  I  don't  believe  there  is  a  member  present  or  absent  who  would  abate  one 
cent  from  the  pittance  allowed  to  the  orphan,  or  anything  from  the  prescribed  allow- 
ance to  the  widow,  or  from  the  dues  of  the  pensioner;  but  let  us  remember  that, 
after  providing  for  these,  our  trust  is  sacred  to  the  other  objects  named  in  our 
charter,  our  by-laws,  and  in  our  initiatory  charge.  In  proportion  to  the  amount 
paid  in  by  each  individual  member,  there  is  probably  no  society  extant  that  so 
liberally  provides  for  its  legitimate  objects  of  relief.  But  the  prosperity  of  the  society, 
as  I  understand,  was  largely  in  consequence  of  taking  in  other  objects  than  the  re- 
ception of  its  members.  Its  changes  of  location  from  time  to  time,  necessitated  by  the 
accommodation  required  for  the  school  and  the  library,  have  resulted  in  our  present 
financial  prosperity.  Surely  our  giving  thus  far  has  not  impoverished  us.  Shall  we 
not  go  on  in  the  course  that  Providence  has  so  kindly  prospered  us  in,  and,  in  the 
spirit  and  language  spoken  to  each  of  us  from  this  desk,  let  it  continue  to  be  the 
primary  and  commendable  object  of  our  association  to  relieve  the  unfortunate,  the  widow,- 
and  the  orphan.  , 


35o 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


INAUGURAL  ADDRESS  OF  PRESIDENT  WILSON  SMALL. 

Delivered  Fkiskuary  51  h,  186S. 

In  1792,  when  the  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen's  Society  was  incorporated,  the  City  of 
New-York  contained  a  population  of  45,000,  and  the  valuation  of  the  real  and  personal 
estate  did  not  exceed  $18,000,000. 

In  1867,  the  population  of  the  city  exceeded  one  million,  and  the  real  and  personal 
property  $736,988,058,  and  the  amount  raised  by  tax,  $16,950,767.88,  nearly  equal  to  the 
whole  valuation  of  1792. 

Notwithstanding  the  great  suffering  and  want  that  we  witness  among  the  mechanics 
and  operatives  of  our  city,  we  have  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  a  spirit  of  frugality 
governs  a  very  large  portion.  Our  saving-banks  exhibit  the  fact  of  350,000  depositors 
and  the  amount  of  $77,000,000  on  deposit. 

The  number  of  dwellings  in  our  city  exceed  53,000,  and  their  value  is  estimated  at 
,000,000. 

By  the  census  of  i860,  our  city  exhibits  a  larger  manufacturing  product  than  any 
other  city  in  the  Union,  and  more  than  any  State,  except  New- York,  Massachusetts,  and 
Pennsylvania.  In  1867,  we  had  4,837  manufacturing  establishments,  with  97,314  opera- 
tives and  $73,104,245  capital  invested.  As  a  further  evidence  of  the  advancement  and 
importance  of  our  city,  it  will  be  found  that  during  the  year  1865  there  arrived  at  this  port 
4,662  vessels  from  foreign  ports,  and  7,972  coastwise,  making  a  total  of  12,634. 

The  foreign  imports  amounted  to  $224,742,419.00;  exports,  including  $30,000,000 
of  specie,  $208,630,282.00,  and  the  receipts  for  customs,  $101,772,905.94. 

The  following  synopsis  will  give  a  comparative  view  of  the  workings  of  the  four  prin- 
cipal libraries  in  our  city  : 

The  Mercantile  Library  contains  81,124  volumes,  and  the  number  delivered  to  read- 
ers during  the  year  was  178,218  volumes. 

The  New-York  Society  Library  contains  52,000  volumes;  number  taken  out  32,642. 
Their  annual  receipts  for  1866  were  $5,91.3.61,  and  their  yearly  assessments  were  $10.00 
each. 

The  Astor  Library  was  incorporated  January  18,  1849,  and  endowed  by  John  Jacob 
Astor  with  $400,000,  and  since  by  his  son,  Wm.  B.  Astor,  with  an  additional  amount  of 
$300,000,  making  $700,000.  Number  of  books  in  library,  145,000;  number  of  books 
read,  44,966,  and  whole  number  of  readers,  19,540. 

The  Mechanics'  Society  Library  contains  33,532  volumes.  Add  to  which  the  Demilt 
Library,  4,028  volumes,  and  you  have  a  total  of  37,560  volumes.  There  are  about  4,000 
male  readers  and  2,344  female  readers,  making  a  total  of  6,344  readers,  and  the  number 
of  volumes  given  out  during  the  year,  1 17,385. 

The  income  of  the  Society  for  the  last  year  amounted  to  $33,417.89,  and  the  expend- 
iture amounted  to  $24,742.44;  leaving  a  balance  of  $8,665.35.  The  assets  of  the 
Society,  $401,397.09;  liabilities,  $7,507.66;  assets  over  liabilities,  $393,889.43. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


351 


By  the  report  of  the  School  Committee,  you  will  observe  there  are  on  register  356 
pupils,  and  the  evidence  of  their  success  and  improvement  you  have  had  an  opportunity 
of  examining,  in  the  several  specimens  placed  before  you  this  evening  for  inspection. 

The  Committee  on  Pensions  report  the  number  of  pensioners,  95,  and  they  have  paid 
out  the  sum  of  $5,774.52.  This  noble  beneficence  could  not  be  placed  in  more  efficient 
hands  than  the  committee  having  that  noble  charity  in  charge,  and  I  embrace  the  present 
opportunity  to  express  my  warmest  acknowledgement  to  the  committee  and  its  members, 
individually,  for  the  prompt  and  efficient  manner  in  which  they  have  discharged  the 
responsible  duties  committed  to  them.  If  there  is  anything  in  life  that  will  endear  and 
ennoble  a  man,  it  is  his  devotion  to  relieving  the  necessities  of  his  fellow-man. 

In  conclusion,  I  would  recommend  that  this  Society  appoint  a  committee  of  eight  or 
ten  to  investigate  and  present  some  plan  by  which  mechanics'  sons  and  others  may  be 
induced  to  learn  the  mechanical  trades ;  any  one  carrying  on  a  mechanical  business  knows 
the  lack  of  workmen  of  our  own  teaching  or  training,  and  the  obstacles  intended  to  prevent 
boys  learning  trades.  In  the  first  place,  if  a  master-mechanic  has  a  son  he  wishes  to  learn 
his  business,  the  first  step  for  him  to  pursue  is,  he  must  get  his  son  recommended  by  his 
journeymen.  If  he  does  not  comply  they  will  force  him  to  do  so  by  a  strike.  How  one 
of  any  spirit  can  allow  himself  lo  be  humiliated  in  this  way  is  almost  impossible  to  con- 
ceive ;  but  such  is  the  fact. 

Now,  I  think  this  Society  should  take  some  steps  to  further  the  interests  of  the  rising 
generation  in  what  I  consider  some  of  the  most  respectable  avocations  in  life  —  mechanic 
arts.  I  would  recommend  leaving  the  terms  of  apprenticeship  to  the  discretion  of  the 
masters  in  the  different  branches ;  and  when  a  boy  has  served  a  proper  time  faithfully,  and 
is  of  good  moral  character,  his  employer  should  give  him  a  certificate  of  such  services 
addressed  to  the  proper  committee  of  this  Society,  before  whom  he  should  pass  an  exam- 
ination ;  and,  if  this  prove  satisfactory,  he  should  receive  a  diploma,  signed  by  the  Presi- 
dent and  Secretary  with  the  seal  of  the  Mechanics'  Society,  and,  in  extraordinary  cases  of 
merit,  some  other  testimonial.  This  would  act  as  a  stimulant  for  boys  to  serve  their  time 
faithfully,  as  this  certificate  would  be  of  great  service  to  them  in  after-life  as  masters  or 
journeymen,  and  at  the  same  time  elevate  our  Society  in  the  eyes  of  th  j  people. 

As  this  Society  is  intended  to  elevate  the  mechanic  arts,  I  think  that  this  is  a  measure 
which  should  command  our  serious  attention  at  this  time,  and  be  referred  to  a  committee 
composed  of  the  different  trades. 

As  the  matter  now  stands,  our  own  sons  are  debarred  from  learning  trades  unless  we 
(the  masters)  submit  their  names  to  our  own  journeymen  for  their  approval. 


352 


GENERAL      SOCIETY  OF 


INAUGURAL  ADDRESS  OF  PRESIDENT  CORNELIUS  H.  DELAMATER. 

Delivered  February  3D,  1869. 

In  the  year  1785 — eighty-four  years  ago  —  only  two  years  after  the  evacuation  of  this 
city  by  the  British,  we  have  evidence  in  our  possession  of  the  existence  of  our  Society.  In 
1792  the  original  charter  was  obtained  from  the  Legislature.  It  expired  by  its  own 
limitation  in  181 1,  and  was  then  renewed  to  1833.  Up  to  that  period  the  objects  of  the 
Society  were  entirely  benevolent,  being  for  the  relief  of  members  in  sickness,  and  of  their 
widows  and  orphans.  It  appears  from  the  records  that  the  means  for  these  purposes  were 
sufficiently  provided  and  applied.  In  1821  the  charter  was  amended  to  allow  of  the 
establishment  of  a  school  for  the  education  of  children  of  poor  or  deceased  members,  and 
a  library  for  the  use  of  apprentices.  In  1833  the  charter  was  renewed  and  amended  so  as 
to  provide  that  one-third  of  all  moneys  received  by  initiation  fees  should  be  kept  in  a  dis- 
tinct and  exclusive  fund,  for  the  purpose  of  disseminating  literary  and  scientific  knowledge; 
also  that  all  bequests  or  donations  for  this  purpose  should  be  kept  sacred  for  it. 

In  1842  the  charter  was  again  amended,  to  allow  its  then  school  to  be  a  pay-school 
for  those  who  could  afford  to  pay,  and  to  allow  of  the  establishment  of  a  separate  fund  for 
the  support  of  the  Apprentices'  Library  and  reading-rooms.  In  1856  the  charter  was 
again  amended,  and  extended  to  the  year  1890.  This  act  allows  the  Society  to  hold  real  and 
personal  estate  not  exceeding  in  value,  at  any  one  time,  the  sum  of  $500,000.  Previously 
we  had  the  right  to  hold  only  to  the  value  of  $200,000  of  such  property.  I  would  here 
recommend  that,  as  our  property  now  probably  exceeds  $500,000  in  value,  an  application 
be  made  to  the  Legislature,  this  winter,  to  extend  our  right  to  hold  property  to  such  an 
amount  as  the  Society  may  see  fit  to  ask.  In  i860  the  charter  was  again  amended  so  as 
to  confirm  our  titles  to  our  real  estate. 

Having  thus  briefly  stated  our  legislative  history,  in  the  belief  that  the  members 
would  not  object  to  having  their  memories  refreshed  thereby,  I  will  now  venture  to  go 
over  the  historical  ground  again  —  this  time  briefly,  as  to  our  real  estate.  The  first  meet- 
ings of  our  Society,  that  we  have  any  record  of,  were  held  at  the  public  house  of  Walter 
Hyer,  in  November,  1785,  in  what  was  then  called  King  street,  now  Pine  street.  It 
afterward  met  in  various  places  under  rent,  probably,  for  seventeen  years,  until,  in  1802,  it 
purchased  the  ground  which  it  now  owns,  at  the  corner  of  Robinson  street  (now  Park 
Place)  and  Broadway,  of  Richard  Varick  and  others,  for  the  sum  of  $6,325.  This  lot  is 
27.6  by  98.3  feet.  We  have  been  offered  this  year,  by  a  responsible  party,  a  rental  for  it 
of  $20,000  per  annum,  free  of  taxes,  which  would  establish  its  value  to-day  at  about 
$300,000.  In  the  next  year  after  the  purchase  of  this  property,  a  new  hall,  called 
Mechanics'  Hall,  was  erected  on  it  by  the  Society,  at  a  cost  of  about  $23,000,  making  the 
whole  cost  of  ground  and  building  at  that  time  about  $29,000.  We  have  now  owned  this 
property  sixty-seven  years.  It  has  always  paid  good  interest  on  its  increasing  valuations, 
and  it  is  probable  that  it  would  sell  for  the  large  sum  that  I  have  previously  named, 
although  it  is  estimated  in  our  financial  statements  at  only  $200,000.*    I  believe  the 

*  This  property  is  now  leased  to  the  New-York      ing  sidewalks  in  repair.    This  property  was  assessed, 
Central  Railroad  Company  until  May  1st,  1870,  the       in  1868,  at  $150,000. 
tenants  paying  all  taxes  and  Croton  rents,  and  keep- 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


353 


Society  occupied  a  portion  of  it  for  their  own  purposes  until  1821.  In  that  year  we  leased 
from  the  corporation  of  the  city  the  ground  we  now  hold  in  Chambers  street,  near 
Chatham,  the  lease  of  which  is  for  sixty  years,  at  a  ground  rent  of  $125  a  year;  it  expires 
in  1881,  twelve  years  hence.  These  premises  have  92  feet  front,  and  average  33  feet  in 
depth.  There  are  no  covenants  for  renewal.  At  the  time  it  was  leased  it  was  improved 
by  the  Society  at  a  cost  of  $7,000.  It  was  occupied  by  the  Society  with  its  school  and 
library  eleven  years,  and  it  now  rents  for  $2,000  a  year.  It  is  leased  at  that  rate  to  Mr. 
John  B.  Snook,  until  May  1,  1870.  Mr.  Snook  pays  all  taxes  and  Croton  rents.  About 
a  year  previous  to  the  leasing  of  this  property  the  school  and  library  went  into  existence. 

In  1832  the  property  on  Crosby  street,  where  our  present  library  and  school  are 
situated,  was  bought  (together  with  some  school  apparatus,  valued  at  $1,000)  for  the  sum 
of  $20,000,  with  the  high-school  building  on  it,  the  same  building,  with  some  additions, 
that  we  now  occupy.  It  consists  of  four  full  lots  of  ground,  each  25  x  100  feet.  This 
property,  thus  bought  thirty-seven  years  ago,  with  our  property  on  Broadway,  since  added, 
is  worth  not  less,  perhaps,  to-day,  than  $200,000,  although  in  our  financial  reports  it  is  esti- 
mated at  only  $100,000.  In  1846  we  bought,  for  $9,000,  the  lot  on  Broadway,  which  is  the 
key  to  the  value  of  our  Crosby  street  property ;  it  is  16  feet  8  inches  wide  by  100  feet  deep. 

I  find  on  the  records  that  our  Society,  in  1833,  estimated  itself  as  worth  only  $70,000 
over  its  debts.  From  1833  to  the  present  time  the  Society  has  not  added  to  its  real  estate. 
It  has,  however,  during  all  this  period,  improved  its  opportunities  to  do  good  with  its 
means.  It  is  a  most  remarkable  example  of  success,  financially  to  itself,  and  beneficially 
to  hundreds  and  hundreds  whom  it  has  fed  with  the  bread  of  the  body,  and  to  tens  of 
thousands  whom  it  has  fed  with  food  for  the  brain.  During  many  of  these  years,  especially 
during  the  early  and  middle  portions  of  them,  the  Society  was  often  in  debt :  but,  thanks 
to  the  able  Finance  Committees  of  the  past,  and  to  the  liberality  and  energy  of  the  mem- 
bers, from  such  embarrassments  it  always  emerged  without  more  than  healthy  travail  and 
trial.  From  these  facts  let  us  take  hope  and  courage  for  the  future,  and  believe,  as  those 
believed  who  have  gone  before,  that  we  have  a  field,  before  us  for  expansion,  corresponding 
with  the  records  of  the  past.  If  it  should  be  that  our  enterprises  of  the  future  should  out- 
run some  time  our  receipts,  let  us  have  confidence,  and  trust  that  the  men  who  succeed 
those  who  have  done  well,  can  do  as  well  and  better.  Let  us  not  believe  that  we  are 
degenerate.  I  would  not  be  understood,  however,  as  about  to  advocate  or  suggest 
improvements  which  shall  be  deemed  extravagant.  We  have  found  that  to  be  a  good 
proverb  which  says,  "  It  is  wise  to  make  haste  slowly." 

Our  Society  has  five  committees,  each  necessary,  and  having  a  most  important 
mission.  If  the  full  possibility  which  is  open  to  each  committee  were  realized,  it  is  almost 
impossible  to  say  which  would  perform  the  most  important  work.  It  is  probably  true  that 
the  good  works  of  these  committees  do  all  run  together  so,  that  neither  can  do  its  full 
duty  without  the  hearty  cooperation  of  the  others.  As  in  the  old  fable  of  the  rebellion  of 
the  works  of  the  clock,  it  can  be  easily  proven  that  each  part  must  do  its  work  faithfully, 
to  enable  the  dial  to  appear  to  the  credit  of  all. 

The  Pension  Committee  show,  by  their  report,  that  in  their  field  of  operations  they 
are  faithful  to  the  beneficiaries,  the  Society,  and  themselves ;  they  are  careful  in  their 
reports,  and  the  Society  always  responds  with  alacrity  to  their  suggestions.    This  com- 


354 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


mittee  has  little  or  no  direct  connection  with  the  business  of  the  other  committees,  but  it 
always  sympathizes  with  them  and  recognizes  their  claims. 

The  School  Committee,  while  it  shows  good  work  done,  evidently  can  do  much  more. 
The  number  of  pupils  reported  is  large — some  460.  The  amount  expended  would  seem 
to  be  inadequate  to  properly  meet  the- needs  of  these.  I  beg  leave  to  attract  the  attention 
of  the  Society  to  the  need  of  more  means  in  this  field,  and  to  suggest  to  a  future  committee 
the  wisdom  of  having  a  head  preceptor  to  the  school,  who  should  have  accountability  for 
his  department,  as  a  principal  in  other  schools  has ;  also  that  better  entrances,  better 
apparatus,  etc.,  be  provided.  I  would  beg  the  School  Committees  of  former  years  not  to 
understand  me  as  criticising  their  work  unfavorably,  for  it  has  been  well  done;  I  only 
mean  to  suggest  a  liberality  from  the  Society,  which  they  have  not  aspired  to,  but  which 
the  wisdom  of  the  Society  may  possibly  accord.  AVould  it  not  be  possible  to  put  this 
school  on  the  basis  of  the  old  school  —  that  is,  make  it  so  good  that  pay-scholars  would 
seek  it  and  help  it — as  perhaps  pay-scholars  by  day,  and  both  pay  and  free-scholars  by 
night  ?  At  present  the  pupils  of  the  school  are  not  necessarily  apprentices,  or  even  readers 
from  our  library ;  they  are  not  required  to  present  any  testimonials  of  place  or  character, 
and  are  taken  from  any  who  apply.  The  effect  of  this  promiscuous  entertainment  gives  us 
great  numbers  of  scholars,  and  causes  our  school  to  become  a  sort  of  primary  school  for 
the  Cooper  Institute.  The  members  of  the  School  Committee  have  been  obliged  to  recog- 
nize this  as  a  fact.  It  certainly  ill-becomes  this  General  Society  of  the  Mechanics  and 
Tradesmen  of  the  great  City  of  New-York,  venerable  in  years  and  strong  in  purse,  to 
occupy  so  inferior  a  position.  Can  we  not  have  a  school  for  apprentices  of  mechanics, 
which  it  shall  be  a  credit  to  finish  from,  instead  of  to  pass  through  ?  Would  it  not  be 
better  for  us,  at  whatever  cost,  to  employ  the  best  talent,  and  teach  such  limited  numbers 
only  as  we  could  teach  well  ?  Might  we  not,  by  employing  teachers  of  superior  talent, 
establish  such  a  reputation  in  the  special  branches  which  we  seek  to  teach,  as  would 
induce  a  class  of  pupils  to  seek  our  school,  who  would  be  willing  and  able  to  pay  for  such 
advantages  amounts  which  would  go  so  far  toward  defraying  the  expenses  as  to  obviate 
the  necessity  of  much  larger  appropriations  than  at  present  ?  I  would  recommend,  at  all 
events,  that  only  apprentices  of  mechanics  be  admitted  to  our  school  free,  in  order  that  it 
may  be  distinguished  as  a  school  for  mechanics'  apprentices.  I  shall  revert  again  to  this 
subject  of  the  school  before  I  have  done. 

The  Literary  and  Scientific  Committee  have,  during  this  present  season,  given  the 
Society  a  course  of  Lectures,  which  have  been  highly  appreciated,  and  I  am  sure  that  their 
labors  have  been  cheerfully  performed.  It  has  often  been  suggested  that  some  lectures 
each  year  to  mechanics  and  their  apprentices,  as  was  the  original  intent  of  the  Lecture 
Fund,  would  be  acceptable  to  the  parties  referred  to,  and  to  the  Society  as  well.  It  now, 
since  the  establishing  of  a  school  for  apprentices,  instead  of  the  old  school,  appears  to  be  a 
necessity  that  the  Literary  and  Scientific  Committee  should  assist  the  School  Committee, 
by  furnishing,  especially  to  the  pupils  of  this  school,  Lectures  on  Natural  Philosophy, 
Chemistry,  Drawing,  Arts,  Ancient  and  Modern  Physiology,  etc. ;  lectures,  not  stilted  and 
beyond  comprehension,  but  familiar  and  popular,  calculated  to  arrest  attention  and  excite 
inquiry.  To  such  lectures,  would  it  not  be  well  that  every  reader  in  the  library,  male  and 
female,  of  proper  habits,  should  receive  tickets  of  admission  ?    A  lecture  most  desirable  to 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


355 


be  given  to  young  people  would  be,  in  my  judgment,  on  reading ;  how  to  read,  and  what 
to  read. 

For  several  years  past  the  subject  of  the  removal  of  our  library  up  town  has  been 
agitated.  Opinions  have  differed  as  to  locations,  and  the  prudence  of  our  venturing  upon 
this  step.  The  recent  action  of  the  Society  in  leasing  the  premises  on  the  ground  floor  of 
this  building  for  five  years,  has  placed  us  in  almost  a  necessity  for  remaining  here  during 
the  pendency  of  this  lease,  for  we  probably  cannot  sell  this  property  during  that  time,  and 
should  we  desire  to  do  so,  would  find  it  almost  impossible  to  rent  the  premises  we  have 
retained  for  our  school  and  library  at  a  satisfactory  price.  These  considerations  lead  to  the 
inquiry  as  to  whether  there  will  ever  be  more  need  of  our  library  and  school  anywhere  in 
this  great  city,  than  just  here,  where  it  now  is.  Examinations  of  our  books  will  show  that 
nine-tenths  of  our  readers  and  scholars  live  below  Fourteenth  street,  and  that  three-fourths 
live  below  Houston  street.  Is  it  probable  this  population  in  these  localities  will  ever  be 
less  ?  Is  it  not  probable  it  will  be  greater  ?  If  this  is  true,  and  if  it  is  true  that  we  are 
likely  to  use  these  premises  for  years  to  come,  shall  we  not  consider  if  we  are  employing 
them  now  to  the  best  advantage  ?  The  library  floor  is  well  utilized.  I  think  the  floor 
above  is  not,  and  that  it  can  be  turned  to  much  better  account.  The  school-room  over 
the  library  is  higher  in  the  ceiling  than  the  library.  It  has  two  wings,  the  same  as  the 
library.  The  room  is  50  feet  by  100.  It  is  susceptible  of  being  made  to  have  a  Broad- 
way entrance,  by  means  of  a  stair-way,  which  may  lead  from  the  long  passage  or  hall 
leading  to  the  library.  I  mean  the  passage  where  our  pictures  hang.  I  am  persuaded  that 
such  an  entrance  can  be  made  to  this  floor  as  will  be  good  enough  for  anybody.  The  only 
entrance  to  this  fine  floor  is  now  by  Crosby  street,  a  bad  street  at  night  for  respectable  boys 
to  have  to  pass  through,  and  impracticable  for  any  other  audience.  I  would  recommend  this 
subject  to  the  consideration  of  the  Society,  and  trust  they  may  take  action  on  it  at  an  early  day. 

Let  me  call  attention  to  the  fact  of  the  sparseness  of  our  embellishments,  both  in  the 
school  and  library,  and  the  profitable  nature  of  such  things.  Of  busts,  we  have  scarcely 
any,  and  the  pictures  on  our  walls  are  very  few  and  not  very  fine.  We  have  all  seen  the 
eager  attention  with  which,  poor  and  few  as  they  are,  they  are  regarded  by  the  boys  and 
girls  who  frequent  the  library.  Last  summer  I  visited  in  Toronto  a  Lyeum,  where  every 
vacant  space  in  halls  and  lecture-room  was  filled  with  a  bust.  I  had  no  idea  there  were 
so  many  in  the  world,  and  learned  then  that  there  was  a  large  field  from  which  to 
select  busts.  Is  it  not  the  duty  of  this  society  of  mechanics,  if  they  are  able,  to  honor  the 
great  men  of  their  profession  by  owning  and  exhibiting  the  busts  of  as  many  of  them  as 
they  can  find  appropriate  room  for  ?  I  mean  the  busts  of  such  men  as  Galileo,  Sir  Isaac 
Newton,  Sir  Christopher  Wren,  James  Watt,  John  Fitch,  Robert  Fulton,  Richard  M.  Hoe, 
John  Ericsson,  and  their  compeers.  To  look  at  these  images  of  great  men  inspires  the 
young  and  interests  the  old.  On  our  library  floor  we  have  room  for  many  busts  and  more 
pictures,  and  if  we  should  make  a  Broadway  entrance  to  the  present  school-room,  that 
room  could  be  garnished  with  them  in  such  a  manner  that  a  dull  lecture  could  be  endured 
there  by  the  interest  for  the  eye  which  the  walls  would  afford.  If  the  Society  should  see 
fit  to  undertake  these  embellishments  and  alterations,  I  venture  to  say,  our  members  would 
visit  its  rooms  more  frequently,  bringing  their  friends  with  them,  and  taking  more  pride  and 
interest  in  our  institution  than  ever. 


356 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


While  it  cannot  be  said  that  our  Society  of  late  years  has  shown  much  enterprise,  it 
has  shown  an  enterprising  spirit  in  its  desires  to  undertake  an  up-town  location,  which,  of 
course,  would  involve  debt,  risk,  and  labor.  When  the  Society  shall  decide  upon  this  move- 
ment, it  will  doubtless  be  a  successful  one ;  but  I  have  thought  that  while  an  up-town 
location  might  be  a  successful  speculation,  and  an  improvement  upon  it  be  something  grand 
and  beautiful  to  look  upon,  and  be  convenient  for  the  members  to  visit,  that  it  might  be 
inconvenient  to  the  most  of  the  7,000  readers  we  have  had  on  our  books  in  this  building ; 
and  I  have  thought  that  as  to  improve  our  present  home  to  its  fullest  extent,  is  not  to  fix 
the  Society  here  forever,  since  it  only  proposes  that  we  should  do  our  work  well  in  the 
field  before  us,  and  not  speculatively  in  a  future,  which  will  always  be  open  before  us  as 
broadly  as  now. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  report  of  the  Finance  Committee,  that  they  have  estimated 
the  receipts  of  next  year  to  fall  short  of  the  expenditures  about  $600.  In  their  estimates 
of  receipts,  however,  they  have  omitted  the  premium  on  gold,  which  last  year  was 
$1,018.47,  and  is  probably  as  certain  to  be  received  this  year;  estimated  initiation  fees  to 
be  $250  less,  and  omitted  usual  receipts  in  library,  $1,284.02,  which  makes  a  total  of 
$2,552.49  reasonably  to  be  counted  on,  and  would  leave  a  surplus  of  nearly  $2,000, 
instead  of  a  deficiency,  as  stated  in  the  report. 

Again  permit  me  to  review  the  property  of  the  Society  as  to  its  values  and  conditions. 

The  Park  Place  property  is  leased  to  the  New-York  Central  Railroad  Company  at 
$12,500  per  year;  the  lease  expires  May  1st,  1870. 

The  Chambers  street  property  is  leased  to  J.  B.  Snook,  at  $2,000  per  year;  the  lease 
expires  May  1st,  1870.    Our  ground  lease  expires  1881,  twelve  years  hence. 

The  ground  floor  of  our  Crosby  street  and  Broadway  property  is  leased  to  Messrs. 
Hackes  &  Forchheimer,  at  $8,000  a  year,  for  five  years  from  next  May ;  the  lease  expires 
May  1st,  1874,  we  paying  all  taxes  and  assessments. 

We  have  insurance  as  follows  : 

On  Park  Place  property,  $20,000 ;  on  Crosby  street  and  Broadway,  $20,000 ;  on 
Chambers  street,  $5,000  ;  on  Books,  etc.,  in  Library,  $20,000;  on  School  property,  $1,500. 

The  report  of  our  Finance  Committee  for  the  year  presents  a  valuation  of  our  assets, 
which  was  made  out  some  years  ago,  and  has  not  been  of  late  revised  or  "  reconstructed." 
It  thus,  perhaps,  presents  to  us  a  too  modest  view  of  our  own  worth.  I  venture,  therefore, 
to  submit  my  own  estimates,  which  will  be  approved  or  disapproved  by  the  judgments  of 
those  who  hear  me,  as  to  them  may  seem  good,  they  being  only  the  opinion  of  an 
individual,  viz.: 

Assets. 


Real  Estate,  Park  Place,  . 

"  "  Crosby  street  and  Broadway, 
811  shares,  Mechanics'  Bank  stock,  . 

U.  S.  Bonds,  

Furniture,  ..... 
Books  in  Libraries,  .... 
Leasehold,  12  Chambers  street, 


Finance  Committee. 
$200,000 
100,000 
20,275 
43,000 
1,000 
35,000 

4,000 


Individual. 
$300,000  .00 
150,000.00 

26.357 -5° 
47,300.00 
1,000.00 
50,000  .00 
12,000.00 


$403,275  $586,657.50 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


357 


My  object  in  presenting  these  comparisons  of  value  is  not  to  impugn  the  safe  valuations 
previously  made,  but  to  induce  the  members  of  the  Society  to  think  of  our  means  in  what 
is  probably  their  truer  light. 

Our  Society  has  a  noble  old  age.  Let  it  not  be  said  that  it  lives  in  the  past  or  the 
present  only,  but  that  it  has  a  vision  of  the  future ;  that  it  has  a  living,  aspiring  soul,  not 
one  only  half  alive  or  apathetic.  The  golden  age  is  before,  not  behind  us ;  our  past  in 
experience  and  means  and  fame  is  with  us  still.  We  have  it  all  to  use  for  the  days  which 
are  before  us.  We  cannot  doubt  that  the  fields  are  fuller  of  harvest  and  promise  for  this 
Society  than  when  it  was  young  and  weak,  and  that  we  shall  not  mortgage  our  strength 
to  indolence. 


INAUGURAL  ADDRESS  OF  PRESIDENT  ADOLPHUS  F.  OCKERSHAUSEN. 

Delivered  February  3D,  1870. 

Brothers  :  As  the  Society  has  been  conducted  the  past  few  years,  and  the  steady, 
uniform,  conservative  action  of  all  its  operations,  I  am  at  a  loss  what  to  say  to  you  upon 
this  occasion,  and  ask  your  indulgence,  if  I  refer  to  matters  of  a  very  commonplace 
nature. 

At  our  meeting,  one  year  ago,  your  President,  Brother  Delamater,  in  his  remarks, 
gave  you  a  history  of  the  Society,  from  the  time  of  its  organization  in  1785  to  the  present 
period,  reviewing  its  progressive  steps,  from  its  feeble  beginning  to  its  present  flourishing 
and  prosperous  condition.  He  reminded  us  of  what  the  Society  had  done  in  times  past, 
being  originally  founded  as  a  benevolent  society,  for  the  relief  of  its  members  in  sickness, 
and  the  care  of  their  widows  and  orphans,  which,  I  am  proud  to  say,  has  continued  to  be 
one  of  its  leading  objects  to  the  present  day.  Then,  some  years  later,  the  establishment  of 
a  school  for  the  education  of  the  children  of  the  members,  and  a  library  for  the  use  of 
apprentices  of  the  city,  and  then  the  disseminating  of  literary  and  scientific  knowledge 
through  courses  of  lectures  to  the  members  and  their  families;  and  astly,  the  establish- 
ment of  a  school  in  the  evening  for  the  free  instruction  of  mechanics  and  apprentices  in 
free-hand,  architectural  and  mechanical  drawing,  etc.  I  would  here  mention  that  book- 
keeping has  been  added  to  the  instruction  given  this  season. 

He  also  gave  you  a  history  of  the  financial  affairs,  from  the  first  operations  in  1802, 
when  they  purchased  the  property,  comer  of  Broadway  and  Park  Place,  for  the  sum  of 
$6,325,  until  the  present  time,  when  the  property  of  the  Society  could  be  valued  at  over 
one-half  million  of  dollars.  All  of  which  showed  that  the  affairs  of  the  Society  had  been 
ever  carried  on  prudently  and  carefully,  and  in  a  conservative  manner.  And  that  we  had. 
also  made  progress  in  the  advancement  of  the  original  object  of  the  formation  of  the 
Society.  This  is  what  the  Society  had  accomplished  in  the  past.  We  have  now  to  do 
with  the  present  and  the  future. 

The  first  idea  presented  would  be,  do  we  occupy  that  position  in  this  city  which  we 
ought  to,  considering  the  means  we  now  enjoy  and  the  opportunities  for  increased  useful- 
ness constantly  presented  ? 


358 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


There  appears  to  be  a  feeling  on  the  part  of  many  members  of  our  Society  that  we 
are  hardly  occupying  that  position,  and  that  we  ought  to  be  doing  more  for  the  rising 
generation  of  mechanics  and  apprentices  of  our  city.  If  these  views  are  correct,  what 
means  shall  we  adopt  to  attain  our  proper  position  ? 

All  the  business  operations  of  our.  Society  are  carried  on  through  the  Standing  Com- 
mittees that  are  appointed  from  year  to  year,  namely:  Finance,  Pension,  School,  Library, 
and  Literary  and  Scientific.  These  committees  know  the  wants  of  their  several  depart- 
ments, and  by  giving  the  subject  of  increased  usefulness  a  consideration  it  might  result  in 
great  benefit  to  our  Society. 

The  Finance  Committee,  who  have  charge  of  the  property  and  the  financial  affairs  of 
the  Society,  and  who  have  also  the  subject  of  removal  from  the  present  locality  to  some 
more  eligible  situation  farther  up  town,  and  all  other  matters  pertaining  to  the  welfare  of 
the  Society  in  a  financial  point  of  view,  might  they  not  present  to  the  Society  some  plan 
whereby  we  might  be  brought  more  prominently  before  the  public,  and  our  usefulness 
thereby  increased  ? 

Our  Pension  Committee,  who  are  the  faithful  almoners  of  the  Society,  and  whose 
duties  are  of  a  practical  nature,  we  could  not  look  to  them  so  readily  for  suggestions  of 
plans  for  future  usefulness.  The  School  Committee  are  now  doing  a  good  work  in  the 
way  of  improvement  of  the  minds  of  the  apprentices  and  young  mechanics.  By  care- 
fully considering  these  matters  I  think  they  will  find  that  they  have  not  yet  reached  the 
limit  of  what  they  may  yet  accomplish ;  it  is  a  wide  field  they  occupy,  and  should  be  cul- 
tivated more  than  ever  before.  The  term  of  the  school  might  be  extended  a  month  or  so 
longer;  more  efficient  teachers  employed,  and  other  means  adopted,  so  that  when  our 
scholars  leave  us  they  may  be  more  fully  accomplished  in  their  branch  of  instruction.  A 
few  lectures  might  be  given  them,  in  connection  with  the  readers  of  the  library,  on  science, 
mechanics,  and  matters  appertaining  to  the  studies  they  pursue ;  and  might  not  some  of 
our  old  members  address  them  occasionally  on  subjects  connected  with  their  own  trades, 
and  of  their  own  early  training  as  apprentices,  and  the  ways  and  means  they  have  followed 
since  in  reaching  the  position  they  now  occupy  ?  It  might  be  an  incentive  to  them  to 
follow  in  the  same  path. 

This  subject  is  worthy  the  consideration  of  the  Literary  and  Scientific  Committee  also, 
and  by  a  joint  cooperation,  much  good  might  be  accomplished  with  little  ouday.  The 
Literary  and  Scientific  Committee  might  take  into  consideration  the  propriety  of  granting 
a  certificate  or  diploma  to  be  given  to  any  mechanic  or  apprentice  for  improvements 
invented  by  him,  or  great  proficiency  in  any  branch  of  mechanical  trade.  The  position  and 
standing  of  our  Society  is  so  high  that  such  certificate  or  diploma  would  be  of  great  service 
to  the  recipient  to  whom  it  should  be  awarded. 

Our  Library  Committee  should  not  be  overlooked  in  this  matter  of  "  increased  useful- 
ness." More  time  spent  in  the  Library  by  the  members  of  the  Committee,  especially  in 
the  evenings,  might  give  the  members  of  that  Committee  some  new  ideas  of  what  could  be 
done  for  the  improvement  of  the  Library,  and  also  the  minds  of  its  readers.  A  word  of  ad- 
vice as  to  the  selection  of  books  to  be  read  might  be  of  lasting  benefit.  Well  do  I  remem- 
ber, when  a  boy,  of  myself  getting  such  advice  from  one  of  the  members  of  the  Library 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


359 


Committee  of  that  clay,  and  which,  I  am  satisfied,  has  ever  been  of  great  service  to  me, 
although  given  nearly  forty  years  ago. 

I  would  like  to  call  the  attention  of  the  members  to  what  appears  to  be  a  want  of 
sociality  or  cordialness  of  feeling  among  the  members  of  our  Society,  and  which  results,  not 
from  unfriendliness  among  the  members,  but' more  from  the  want  of  a  personal  introduction. 

A  new  member  is  elected  and  initiated ;  he  attends  a  few  meetings,  and  then  appears 
to  have  lost  his  interest  in  the  Society.  I  think  this  might  be  obviated  by  the  members 
introducing  to  one  another  all  the  new  and  old  members  who  are  yet  unacquainted.  We 
have  a  comfortable  reading-room,  where  the  members  can  meet  at  any  time,  and  I  have  no 
doubt  that  if  our  members  would  frequent  this  room  more,  our  social  intercourse  would  be 
much  improved,  and  the  interests  of  our  Society  enlarged.  Will  not  our  members  pay  a 
little  attention  to  this  want  ? 

By  reference  to  the  report  of  the  Finance  Committee,  you  will  perceive  that  our 
expenditures  for  the  past  year  have  absorbed  the  balance  on  hand  January  ist,  1869,  of 
$4,032  21-100,  and  also  a  debt  incurred  and  yet  unpaid  of  $2,000,  making  the  amount 
actually  expended  over  the  receipts  above  $6,000  for  the  year;  $5,000  of  this  amount  was 
expended  in  repairs  and  alterations  on  the  buildings. 

Our  actual  receipts,  or  net  income,  for  the  past  year  were  in  round  numbers  about 
$25,100,  to  which  add  the  $4,000  in  hands  of  the  Treasurer  on  ist  of  January,  1869,  and 
$5,500  borrowed  of  Mechanics'  Bank,  makes  the  total  $34,600.  The  disbursements 
amount  to  the  same  sum,  $34,600.  This  includes  the  payment  of  $3,500  on  account  of 
the  loan  from  the  Mechanics'  Bank,  leaving  the  actual  net  outlay  of  the  Society,  for 
expenses  and  appropriations  to  the  Committees,  $31,100. 

The  estimate  of  receipts  for  the  coming  year  is  $34,200,  being  an  excess  over  last  year 
of  about  $9,000.  This  is  made  up  by  an  increase  of  rent  from  the  Park  Place  property  of 
$5,500;  from  Mechanics'  Hall,  $3,000;  and  from  Chambers  street  property,  $900. 

The  estimate  of  disbursements  amounts  to  $26,485,  being  about  $4,600  less  than  the 
past  year,  and  leaving  an  estimated  surplus  on  the  income  of  the  year  of  about  $7,700, 
showing  a  most  gratifying  and  prosperous  condition  of  the  financial  affairs  of  the  Society. 

With  our  property  corner  of  Park  Place  and  Broadway  leased  for  a  term  of  years,  at 
the  increased  rent  anticipated  by  the  Finance  Committee,  and  an  increase  also  on  the  lease- 
hold property  in  Chambers  street,  would  give  the  Society  an  increased  and  permanent 
income  of  some  $9,000  a  year  beyond  what  we  have  been  receiving  for  the  past  few  years, 
and  enable  the  Society  to  extend  its  usefulness  to  a  much  greater  extent  than  ever  before. 

Brothers,  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New- York 
has  a  bright  future  before  it ;  and  if  we  press  forward  and  take  hold  of,  and  properly  use, 
the  ways  and  means  placed  in  our  hands,  it  would  take  its  proper  rank  as  the  first  in  this 
city  for  its  usefulness  to  the  mechanic  and  apprentice,  and  occupy  such  a  position  in  this 
community  as  its  founders  could  never  have  anticipated,  and  of  which  we  ourselves  could 
be  justly  proud.  May  these  anticipations  be  speedily  realized,  I  presume  is  the  wish  of 
you  all. 


360 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


INAUGURAL  ADDRESS  OF  PRESIDENT  WILLIAM  H.  GEDNEY. 
Delivered  February  4TH,  1874. 

Brothers  :  It  has  been  the  custom  heretofore,  with  our  presiding  officers,  on 
assuming  their  positions,  to  address  their  fellow-members  upon  topics  of  interest  to  our 
Society,  and,  in  a  measure,  those  topics  have  become  a  part  of  its  history. 

I  shall,  therefore,  to  a  limited  extent,  follow  in  the  path  of  my  "  illustrious  prede- 
cessors." 

I  enter  upon  my  duties,  as  presiding  officer  of  the  Society  for  the  ensuing  year,  with 
diffidence,  conscious  of  my  own  incompetency  to  discharge  its  duties  so  as  to  fully  meet 
your  expectations. 

Parliamentary  rules,  which  are  of  necessity  arbitrary,  should  be  applied  and  enforced 
only  with  calmness,  and  to  harmonize  conflicting  opinions. 

Favored  with  your  forbearance  and  indulgent  support,  I  trust  I  shall  be  able  to 
discharge  this,  as  well  as  other  duties,  so  as  in  some  measure  to  merit  your  approbation. 

I  do  not  propose  to  enter  largely  into  the  examination  of  any  of  the  statistics  of  our 
institution  at  this  time,  but  shall  be  content  to  notice  a  very  few. 

I  shall  refer  you  to  the  reports  of  the  several  committees,  when  published,  for  more 
full  and  complete  accounts  of  the  practical  workings  of  our  Society,  which,  I  assure  you, 
will  be  both  creditable  and  satisfactory. 

Mutual  protection  and  financial  benefit  was  the  watchword  of  the  few  honorable  and 
worthy  men  who  originated  and  organized  our  Society.  And  what  has  it  not  accom- 
plished since  ? 

The  noble  men  of  our  race,  succeeding  one  another  almost  through  one  entire 
century,  fully  three  generations,  to  the  present  time,  have  built  up  an  institution  second  to 
none  of  its  kind  in  this  or  any  other  country  on  the  face  of  the  globe. 

Many,  very  many,  have  had  cause  to  pronounce  it  blessed.  I  think  I  but  express 
the  sentiments  of  my  brethren  when  I  say  we  are  proud  of  our  institution  and  its 
workings. 

Its  library,  with  its  50,000  volumes  of  choice  reading  matter,  and  its  7,000  readers, 
are  subjects  of  honest  pride. 

It  is  also  an  "  almoner,"  with  a  great  heart,  distributing  annually  upward  of  $7,000, 
through  a  committee  of  gentlemen,  with  whose  superiors,  in  point  of  ability  and  activity, 
no  other  society  was  ever  blessed. 

Its  school  is  of  incalculable  benefit  to  the  youth,  and  particularly  to  the  apprentices, 
of  our  city ;  an  average  of  about  250  pupils  being  in  attendance  every  evening  during  the 
term.  These  are  instructed  by  a  competent  corps  of  teachers,  in  mechanical,  architectural, 
object  and  free-hand  drawing,  and  in  writing  and  book-keeping.  Some  of  these  branches 
are  not  taught  in  our  common  day  and  evening  schools. 

We  may,  therefore,  be  assured  that  our  school  is  doing  a  great  and  good  work 
among  a  class  in  our  city  who  would  not  be  reached  and  benefited  in  any  other  manner. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


Through  the  agency  of  our  Literary  and  Scientific  Committee,  and  by  no  other 
agency,  has  the  public  become  somewhat  acquainted  with  our  Society.  And  as  fast  as  the 
people  learn  of  our  good  works,  they  are  willing  to,  and  do  accord  "  honor  to  whom  honor 
is  due."  Our  lectures  are  a  source  of  very  great  intellectual  enjoyment  and  moral  influ- 
ence ;  that  they  are  much  appreciated  by  an  intelligent  class  of  our  community  the  large 
audiences  fully  attest. 

Our  committees  have  all  shown  themselves  to  be  composed  of  workmen  that  need  not 
be  ashamed ;  and,  while  I  would  draw  no  invidious  comparisons,  I  must  be  pardoned  for 
particularizing  the  Pension  Committee,  who,  "  being  in  labors  abundant,"  have  "  acquitted 
themselves  like  men." 

Need  I  say  to  my  brethren,  forget  not  the  aged  and  infirm,  and  the  unfortunate  of  our 
membership  ?  Perhaps  not.  But  still,  those  of  us  who  are  in  the  morning  or  meridian 
of  life,  and  are  actively  engaged  in  our  daily  avocations,  are  very  apt  to  forget  the  less 
favored.    Gentle  reminders  are  occasionally  necessary. 

It  is  a  pleasure  to  us,  when  in  health,  to  have  our  old  friends  visit  us ;  but  what  a 
consolation  it  is  to  greet  them  when  we  are  sick  and  feeble. 

One  word  about  our  much  talked  of  change  of  location.  I  think  the  time  has  come 
when  none  of  us  desire  to  remain  much  longer  where  we  now  are. 

But  the  difficulty  seems  to  be  just  here,  and  this  question  is  invariably  put  forth, 
"  Where  shall  we  go  ?  "  My  answer  to  that  is,  raise  a  committee,  or  empower  the  present 
one,  from  our  body,  to  purchase  a  site,  and  locate  our  new  home;  and  having  accom- 
plished that,  let  them  report  to  us  what  they  have  done,  and  let  us  go  thither. 

In  conclusion,  I  may  express  the  hope  that  our  encouraging  and  brilliant  career  in  the 
past  may  be  supplemented  in  the  future  by  ever-increasing  social,  intellectual,  and  moral 
profit  to  each  of  us,  as,  with  steadfastness  of  purpose  and  earnestness  of  soul,  we  seek 
to  emulate  the  example  of  Him  who,  when  on  earth,  went  about  doing  good. 


INAUGURAL  ADDRESS  OF  PRESIDENT  WM.  OTIS  MUNROE. 
Delivered  February  3D,  1875. 

Brothers  :  An  examination  of  our  proceedings  for  past  years  has  called  my  attention 
to  a  custom  of  fonner  Presidents,  to  inaugurate  their  official  relations  with  the  Society  by  a 
brief  reference  to  our  history,  position,  and  prospects.  I  am  at  a  loss  to  determine,  at  this 
time,  which  of  these  points  should  be  most  prominently  brought  before  your  consideration. 

Our  position  among  the  great  associations  of  to-day  is  well  defined.  The  little  organi- 
zation of  1785  has  become  a  great  power  in  our  Metropolitan  Society  of  1875.  Its  pros- 
perity has  kept  pace  with  the  marvelous  growth  of  our  great  city.  Its  efficiency,  though 
not  so  great  as  we  hope  for  at  a  future  day,  is  a  subject  of  congratulation.  Its  system  of 
instruction  by  classes,  aided  by  those  powerful  adjuncts  of  education,  the  Public  Library 
and  Public  Lectures,  is  comprehensive  enough  to  be  in  keeping  with  the  spirit  of  the  age. 


362 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


Recognizing  the  relations  of  skilled  handicraft  to  the  prosperity  of  a  nation,  our  Society, 
among  an  industrious  and  free  people,  has  done  its  part  to  assert  and  maintain  the  dignity 
of  labor. 

The  report  of  the  Finance  Committee  exhibits  the  material  prosperity  of  the  Society, 
and  it  is  entirely  unnecessary  for  me  to  recall  the  figures  and  statistics  in  this  brief  address, 
although  it  may  not  be  out  of  place  to  ask  ourselves  whether  our  work  is  as  effective  as  it 
should  be  with  such  a  fund  at  our  command. 

The  purposes  of  our  organization  are  too  well  known  to  make  it  necessary  for  me  to 
allude  to  them,  unless  it  be  to  urge  upon  you  an  increased  effort  to  carry  them  out  accord- 
ing to  the  letter  and  spirit  of  our  history.  What  we  have  done  in  the  past,  and  the  satis- 
faction our  good  works  have  given  us,  should  be  an  incentive  to  more  zealous  endeavors 
during  future  years.  Our  Society  is  to-day  recognized  by  the  community  as  a  civilizing 
and  cultivating  force,  and  it  is  our  duty  to  see  to  it,  that  it  shall  continue  to  strengthen  its 
position  and  influence  among  the  educational  institutions  of  our  city  and  of  our  time. 

The  several  reports  submitted  for  your  consideration,  at  this  time,  contain  matter  that 
may,  perhaps,  be  suggestive  of  such  modification  as  our  previously  adopted  systems  may 
require,  in  order  to  make  our  work  as  effective  as  the  advancing  wants  of  our  city  may  de- 
mand of  us,  or  as  may  be  productive  of  a  more  successful  accomplishment  of  those  ends 
and  purposes  with  which  we  long  ago  set  out. 

It  is  not  my  purpose,  however,  at  the  moment  of  assuming  this  official  relation,  to  urge 
any  plan  other  than  that  heretofore  pursued,  or  to  suggest  changes  in  any  of  our  depart- 
ments of  usefulness.  At  the  same  time,  I  shall  reserve  to  myself  the  privilege  of  recom- 
mending, from  time  to  time,  as  opportunity  may  permit  or  occasion  suggest,  whatever  may 
appear  proper  to  be  done  to  keep  our  Society  in  the  path  of  progress,  and  to  give  such 
direction  to  its  efforts  as  shall  make  it,  emphatically,  a  powerful  agent  in  the  advancement 
of  art,  science,  and  morals. 

Brothers,  our  society  is  strong  in  a  membership  selected  from  the  most  active  and 
intelligent  men  of  this  our  beloved  city ;  we  are  rich  in  this  world's  goods ;  our  councils 
are  distinguished  by  harmony  and  good  feeling;  we  have  every  reason  to  feel  proud  of  our 
antecedents,  as  shown  in  our  history ;  we  rejoice  that  we  have  been  enabled  to  do  much 
good  in  the  past;  we  feel  that  we  have  traveled  in  the  right  direction  to  accomplish  good, 
and  that  our  charities  have  not  been  stinted.  Then  let  us  encourage  each  other ;  let  us 
animate  one  another  by  the  remembrance  of  an  honorable  past  —  by  the  confidence  in  our 
own  present  strength  —  by  our  dearest  hopes  of  a  bright  future,  let  us  resolve  here  to  take 
such  counsel  together,  that  the  generations  which  are  to  come  after  us  may  command  our 
zeal  and  spirit,  as  we,  to-day,  give  credit  to  the  noble  men  of  the  past,  who  did  their 
utmost  to  start  us  on  our  way. 

And  now,  brothers,  let  me  thank  you  for  the  honor  you  have  been  pleased  to  confer 
upon  me.  Appreciating  highly,  as  I  ought  to  appreciate,  the  honor  of  being  called  upon 
to  preside  over  your  deliberations,  and  sensible  of  the  dignity  which  my  predecessors  have 
conferred  upon  this  office,  I  will  endeavor,  to  the  utmost  of  my  ability,  to  deserve  the 
confidence  you  have  reposed  in  me. 

Finally,  my  brothers,  may  the  present  year  be  one  of  pleasure  and  profit  to  us  all  — 
may  our  schools  continue  to  be  as  efficient  as  they  have  been  —  may  our  libraries  be  as 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


363 


well  attended — our  literary  and  scientific  course  as  popular  and  as  instructive — our 
charities  as  abundant  as  the  wants  of  those  having  claims  upon  our  benevolence — and  let 
us  feel  that  our  highest  aim  should  be  to  secure  to  our  ancient  and  honorable  Society  the 
approbation  of  the  wise,  the  earnest,  and  the  good,  by  our  unceasing  efforts  to  promote 
the  welfare  and  happiness  of  those  we  represent,  and  the  growing  generation  who  are 
looking  to  us  for  guidance  and  assistance.  While  such  are  the  objects  we  have  in  view, 
we  may  rely  with  confidence  upon  the  blessing  of  the  Author  of  all  good  —  the  God  and 
Father  of  us  all. 


INAUGURAL  ADDRESS  OF  PRESIDENT  HAVILAH  M.  SMITH. 

Delivered  February  2D,  1876. 

Brothers  :  It  has  become  somewhat  the  custom  for  the  President  of  this  Society, 
when  entering  on  his  duties,  to  make  a  few  remarks  on  the  history,  standing,  and  prospects 
of  the  Society. 

In  the  year  1785,  nine  years  after  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  the  founders  of 
this  Society,  feeling  the  need  of  mutual  alliance, — as  only  those  who  have  passed  through 
some  such  great  struggle  could, — assembled  and  associated  themselves  together  for  mutual 
protection  and  assistance,  under  the  name  and  title  of  the  "  General  Society  of  Mechanics 
and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New-York,"  the  primary  object  of  which  was,  at  the  time  of 
organization,  to  relieve  the  widows  and  orphans  of  deceased  members.  This  object  has 
been  carefully  retained  and  nurtured,  and,  under  the  care  of  our  present  committee,  is  the 
just  pride  of,  and  still  remains  the  primary  and  first  object  of  our  association. 

The  Society  was  first  incorporated  in  the  year  1792,  and  the  charter  has  since  been 
amended,  from  time  to  time,  to  comply  with  the  progressive  requirements  of  the  Society. 
About  1820,  after  making  the  first  purchase  of  real  estate  (at  the  corner  of  Broadway  and 
Park  Place)  for  a  more  permanent  home,  its  usefulness  was  further  extended  by  establish- 
ing a  school  for  the  education  of  the  children  of  its  members,  and  a  liVvary  for  the  benefit 
of  the  apprentices  of  our  city.  The  school  supplied  a  great  want  at  that  time,  in  not  only 
educating  the  children  of  the  members  of  this  Society,  but  also  in  furnishing  teachers  for 
other  schools. 

Since  the  establishment  of  the  present  public  school  system,  the  day-school  is  no 
longer  needed;  but  we  have  continued  to  supply  the  great  want  of  a  practical  drawing- 
school  for  the  apprentices  of  our  city;  and  from' the  progress  now  made,  your  School 
Committee  will  doubtless  be  able  to  make  an  exhibition,  at  the  close  of  the  session,  of 
which  the  Society  may  well  feel  proud. 

The  library,  from  the  time  it  was  established  until  about  the  year  1846,  was  kept  open 
in  the  evening  only.  It  then  contained  about  17,000  volumes,  and  had  about  1,600 
readers;  we  now  have,  as  per  last  report,  about  52,700  volumes,  and  between  six  and 
seven  thousand  readers. 

In  1862,  the  free  use  of  our  library  was  extended  to  female  operatives,  with  most 
gratifying  results. 


364 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


Brothers,  I  would  earnestly  recommend  for  your  consideration  the  propriety  of 
further  extending  this  privilege  of  the  free  use  of  the  library  to  the  journeymen  mechanics 
and  artisans  of  our  city. 

Our  Literary  and  Scientific  Committee,  by  the  careful  and  judicious  management  of 
the  appropriations  from  the  funds  intrusted  to  their  care,  and  their  selections  of  subjects 
and  lecturers,  for  the  instruction  and  entertainment  of  the  members  of  the  Society  and  their 
families,  have  merited  the  approval  of  the  members  of  the  Society. 

Brothers,  a  separate  fund  has  been  created  and  set  apart  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining 
a  new  and  more  suitable  location  and  building  for  the  use  of  the  Society,  and  in  which  we 
might  feel  we  had  a  permanent  home,  and  one  worthy  the  noble  character  of  the  trust 
bequeathed  to  us  by  the  founders  of  this  venerable  Society. 

We  have  now  in  that  fund,  as  per  report  just  rendered,  $47,244.44.  With  a  prospect 
of  but  little  expense  being  required  on  our  buildings,  and  a  careful  expenditure  by  the 
several  committees,  may  we  not  hope  to  add  full  ten  thousand  dollars  to  our  Building  and 
Sinking  Fund  the  present  year? 

In  this  connection,  if  I  may  be  allowed  to  refer  to  it,  much  has  been  said  about  the 
rise  in  value  of  property,  which  has,  from  time  to  time,  been  offered  to  this  Society ;  but 
we  must  not  forget,  at  the  same  time,  the  rise  in  value  of  our  own  property  as  well.  I  see, 
by  a  report  of  1843,  the  Society  had  at  that  time  under  consideration  the  propriety  of  sell- 
ing the  Broadway  and  Park  Place  property  for  the  sum  of  $54,000,  the  rent  of  which  was 
at  that  time  $3,000  per  annum;  for  this  same  property  we  now  receive  $24,100  per 
annum  ground  rent,  free  from  taxes  and  assessments,  which  would  place  the  amount  at 
about  eight  times  what  it  was  worth  at  that  time,  thirty-three  years  ago,  or  something  over 
$400,000,  we  having  received  the  rental  in  the  meantime. 

Brothers,  let  us  not  lament  over  any  errors  of  the  past,  but,  believing  that  the  Great 
Ruler  of  events  will  reward  all  good  works,  let  us  press  forward  for  the  future. 

I  would  recommend  the  continuance  of  the  Committee  on  Location,  and  hope  that  a 
site  may  be  selected  during  the  present  financial  crisis. 

The  location  once  decided,  so  as  to  unite  the  action  of  the  members  of  the  Society,  I 
think  the  ways  and  means  will  be  sure  to  follow. 

In  conclusion,  brothers,  I  thank  you  for  the  confidence  you  have  placed  in  me  in 
electing  me  to  this  honorable  position.  I  feel  my  incompetency  to  fill  the  position  as  I 
would  like  to  see  it  filled,  and  beg  your  indulgence  and  your  assistance  in  all  our 
deliberations. 


INAUGURAL  ADDRESS  OF  PRESIDENT  EDWIN  DOBBS. 

Delivered  February  jth,  1S77. 

Brothers:  Shortly  after  the  War  of  Independence,  in  the  year  1785,  nearly  a 
century  ago,  a  few  hard-working  sons  of  toil  met  together  in  a  room,  then  about  the 
center  of  the  city,  but  now  far  down  town,  and  organized  themselves  into  a  Society  for  the 
care  of  their  indigent  and  worn-out  brothers,  and  the  widows  and  orphans  of  deceased 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN, 


365 


members.  Thus,  brothers,  was  the  foundation  of  our  Society  laid,  the  corner-stone  of 
which  was  benevolence.  That  same  spirit  has  been  the  motive  power  from  that  time  to 
this,  all  along  through  the  generations  of  men  who  have  composed  its  membership,  and 
will,  I  trust,  continue  as  long  as  our  country  shall  exist.  In  the  year  1792,  the  Society 
having  largely  increased  in  members  and  in  means,  it  was  deemed  best  to  apply  for  and 
obtain  a  charter,  which  was  granted  March  14th,  of  the  same  year,  the  capital  being  limited 
to  an  amount  not  exceeding  $50,000,  and  the  charter  to  continue  until  the  year  1812. 

In  the  year  181 1  the  Society  again  applied  for  a  renewal  and  extension  of  their 
charter,  and  also  an  amendment,  whereby  they  were  authorized  to  increase  their  capital  to 
an  amount  not  exceeding  $200,000,  which  was  also  granted  April  3d,  181 1.  The  Society 
continued  to  act  under  this  charter  until  the  year  182 1,  when,  governed  by  the  same  spirit 
that  inspired  and  animated  the  founders  of  this  Society,  they  resolved  that  the  children  of 
indigent  or  deceased  brothers  should  also  have  an  opportunity  to  receive  at  least  a 
common-school  education.  They  again  applied  to  the  Legislature  for  an  amendment  to 
the  preceding  act,  which  not  only  granted  the  privilege,  but  also  authorized  them  to 
establish  a  library  for  the  use  of  the  apprentices  of  our  city.  I  would  here  state,  for  the 
information  of  our  young  members,  that  at  this  time  the  means  of  acquiring  a  common- 
school  education  were  exceedingly  limited,  particularly  to  the  humbler  classes  of  society. 
The  Public  School  Society  had  very  few  schools,  and  many  of  the  children  of  those  days 
had  but  a  few  months  of  schooling.  Hence  the  solicitude  of  the  members  that  their 
children  should  have  the  opportunity  of  at  least  a  common-school  education,  to  fit  them  to 
hold  higher  positions  in  life. 

I  have  thus  briefly  passed  over  the  early  history  of  our  Society,  bringing  us  down  to 
the  beginning  of  the  system,  which  has  continued,  with  a  few  exceptions,  to  the  present 
time.  In  looking  over  the  report  of  the  School  Committee  of  March  3d,  1858,  a  very  able 
and  carefully  drawn  document,  I  was  deeply  impressed  with  the  following  brief  extract : 
"The  circumstances  by  which  the  school  was  surrounded  have  changed;  the  public 
schools  have  greatly  increased  in  numbers  and  improved  in  character ;  many  of  them  are 
now  superior,  or  at  least  equal,  to  the  best  private  schools ;  parents  no  longer  deem  it 
derogatory  to  their  children  to  participate  in  the  advantages  of  th~se  free  institutions, 
which  they  are  so  largely  taxed  to  support  and  maintain.  The  Mechanics'  School  is  no 
longer  a  necessity;  it  has  fulfilled  its  mission;  its  work  is  done;  for  nearly  forty  years  we 
have  cherished  and  sustained  it,  an  honor  to  our  Society,  a  blessing  to  its  members  and 
their  children,  as  well  as  a  most  important  public  benefit." 

Shortly  after  this,  the  school  for  the  instruction  in  the  ordinary  branches  of  an  English 
education  ceased.  I  was  also  forcibly  struck  with  the  sadness  which  seemed  to  prevail 
all  through  the  report,  in  the  fact  that  the  committee  were  compelled  to  recommend  its 
dissolution. 

We  have  in  our  Society,  as  you  are  aware,  six  Standing  Committees : 

1  st.  The  Finance  Committee,  to  whom  are  intrusted  the  charge  of  all  buildings, 
lands,  etc.,  belonging  to  the  Society. 

2d.  A  Pension  Committee,  who  have  in  charge  the  care  of  ail  indigent  members 
applying  for  assistance,  and  the  widows  and  orphans  of  those  deceased. 


366 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


3d.  A  School  Committee,  whose  duty  it  is  to  take  charge  of  and  superintend  the 
architectural,  mechanical,  and  free-hand  drawing  classes,  employ  teachers,  etc. 

4th.  A  Library  Committee,  who  take  charge  of  the  Apprentices'  and  De  Milt 
Libraries  and  Reading-rooms,  and  establish  rules  and  regulations  for  the  government  of 
the  same. 

5th.  A  Literary  and  Scientific  Committee,  for  promoting  and  disseminating  literary 
and  scientific  knowledge. 

6th.  You  have  also  a  Sinking  Fund  Committee,  which  I  believe  is  now  classed  as  a 
Standing  Committee,  to  whom  is  committed  a  trust  which,  I  am  happy  to  say,  is  being 
largely  increased  every  year. 

In  looking  over  the  report  of  the  Finance  Committee,  I  see  that  the  gross  amount  of 
assets,  as  stated  by  them,  amounts  to  $597,196.20,  which,  I  think,  even  in  these  times  of 
depreciated  values,  is  far  too  little,  and,  in  my  judgment,  should  be  at  least  $700,000. 

The  report  of  the  Library  Committee,  down  to  September  1st,  1876,  gives  the  number 
of  volumes  in  the  Apprentices' and  De  Milt  Libraries  as  55,635;  number  added  during 
the  year,  3,843;  number  of  readers,  7,417;  number  of  books  circulated,  147,010.  As 
compared  with  1866,  the  number  of  volumes  then  was  33,700;  in  1856  there  was 
contained  in  both  libraries,  17,246;  readers,  1,936;  books  circulated,  36,987.  This  I 
look  upon  as  a  most  marked  and  gratifying  success;  and  the  library  to-day,  in  all  its 
appointments,  seems  to  be  everything  that  the  Society  should  desire  or  expect. 

The  Pension  Committee  report  a  large  increase  in  the  number  of  applications  for 
%  relief,  produced,  no  doubt,  by  the  present  depression  in  all  kinds  of  industries.  This, 
brothers,  I  look  upon  as  the  committee  of  the  Society — as  if  it  grew  out  of,  and  probably 
was,  the  first  committee.  It  is  our  almoner  to  distribute  the  funds  of  the  Society  to 
broken-down  and  indigent  brothers,  to  the  widows  and  orphans  of  deceased  members,  that 
which  they  themselves  have  helped  to  accumulate;  and  I  have  no  doubt  that,  under 
God's  blessing,  this  feature  of  our  Society  has  done  more  to  promote  and  aid  in  our  pros- 
perity than  any  other  cause  known  to  us.  Brothers,  we  must  look  after  the  poor — these 
we  have  always  with  us. 

The  School  Committee  report  an  average  attendance  of  284.  I  have  not  been  able 
to  inform  myself  thoroughly  in  relation  to  this  committee ;  but  there  are  taught,  by  a  com- 
petent corps  of  teachers,  classes  in  architectural,  mechanical,  and  free-hand  drawing  ;  there 
has  also  lately  been  organized  a  class  of  females,  who  are  instructed  in  free-hand  drawing, 
which  I  fully  recommend  and  indorse,  but  at  the  same  time  I  believe  that  the  founders  of 
our  Society  meant  to  encourage  a  system  of  education  wherein  the  mechanic  particularly 
should  have  the  advantage;  and  while  free-hand  drawing  is  well,  at  the  same  time  I  would 
recommend  that  it  should  be  ignored  as  much  as  possible,  and  all  the  male  scholars  be 
instructed  in  architectural  and  mechanical  drawing,  and  that  the  instruction  shall  be  so 
thorough  and  practical  that  they  may  be  fitted  to  pass  from  the  school  sufficiently  educated 
to  seek  their  own  livelihood. 

The  Literary  and  Scientific  Committee  have  continued  their  best  efforts  to  furnish 
such  a  course  of  lectures  as  would  interest  and  instruct  the  members  and  their  families ;  at 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN, 


367 


the  same  time,  I  believe  that  they  labor  under  a  great  disadvantage  in  not  having  a  suit- 
able hall  belonging  to  the  Society.  This  committee  is  doing  a  good  work,  and  our  lectures 
have  become  an  institution  among  us,  and  are  doing  a  great  deal  to  bring  the  Society 
prominently  before  the  public. 

And  now,  brothers,  in  conclusion,  I  would  say,  that  I  believe  this  Society  is  the  most 
perfect,  in  all  its  organizations,  of  any  now  existing.  It  is  the  most  practical  and  thorough 
in  its  committees  and  in  all  its  details.  Why  ?  Because  it  was  founded  by  mechanics, 
practical  men,  who,  by  experience,  had  learned  the  reason  why ;  they  then  put  the  same  in 
operation,  and,  be  it  said,  for  we  are  proud  of  it,  that  of  all  the  many  thousands  of  dollars 
that  have  passed  through  the  hands  of  its  officers  and  committees,  not  one  single  cent  (so 
far  as  the  records  show)  has  ever  been  pilfered  from  its  treasury  —  a  glorious  record. 

The  year  just  closed  has  been  a  memorable  one,  long  to  be  remembered  for  its  many 
financial  distresses ;  all  kinds  of  business  interests  paralyzed,  and  thousands  of  unemployed 
workingmen  idle ;  yet,  notwithstanding  all  this,  the  reports  of  all  the  committees  give  us 
great  cause  for  congratulation.  The  finances  of  the  Society,  and  every  interest  connected 
with  us,  are  in  a  healthy  and  flourishing  condition,  and  the  Society  was  never  in  a  more 
prosperous  condition,  in  all  its  branches,  than  to  day. 

I  think  we  have  much  to  be  thankful  for.  It  is  not  yet  one  hundred  years  since  our 
Society  was  organized.  It  had  a  very  small  beginning ;  but  see  what  it  has  accomplished! 
From  a  small  nucleus  of  membership  it  has  grown  to  be  a  mighty  power.  Its  membership 
now  numbers  some  eight  hundred.  It  has  enrolled  on  its  books  of  membership  names  of 
the  best  men  who  have  resided  in  our  city — men  who  have  lived  honored  lives  and  passed 
away  to  their  account.  Generation  after  generation  has  passed  away,  and  the  good  that 
they  have  done,  and  the  good  that  we  are  now  doing,  is  written  in  the  book  of  life. 

God's  blessing  has  attended  the  Society  from  its  earliest  beginning,  because  it  was 
founded  on  love,  and  God  is  Love.  Go  on,  then,  brothers,  in  this  noble  work  in  which 
you  are  engaged,  and  His  blessing  will  continue  with  you  to  the  end. 


INAUGURAL  ADDRESS  OF  PRESIDENT  HENRY  L.  SLOTE. 
Delivered  February  6th,  1878. 

Brothers  :  I  have  hesitated  as  to  what  course  to  pursue  on  entering  upon  my  duties 
as  President  of  this  Society;  whether  to  follow  in  the  steps  of  my  predecessors,  or  to  omit 
altogether  the  customary  inaugural  address. 

But  while  I  feel  that  almost  every  subject,  of  interest  to  the  Society,  has  been  ably 
discussed  in  the  addresses  of  those  who  have  preceded  me,  yet  I  cannot  refrain  from 
offering  a  few  suggestions  that  have  presented  themselves  to  my  mind. 

For  information  as  to  the  practical  workings  of  the  Society  during  the  past  year,  I 
shall  refer  you  to  the  reports  of  the  several  committees.  It  will  not  be  necessary  for  me  to 
enter  into  any  analysis  of  them ;  they  are  in  themselves  a  complete  history  of  the  work 
done  in  the  several  departments. 


368 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


They  show  continued  prosperity  of  the  Society ;  and  while  we  cannot  but  deplore  the 
great  depression  in  business,  we  have  great  cause  for  thankfulness  that  a  kind  Providence 
has  thrown  over  us  a  protecting  hand,  so  that  we  have  suffered  no  diminution  of  our 
resources ;  consequently  the  committees  have  been  able  to  carry  on  their  good  work  as 
in  the  past. 

But  I  think  it  only  just  that  especial  attention  be  directed  to  the  work  of  the  Finance 
Committee.  Our  thanks  are  due  them  for  their  faithfulness,  zeal,  and  energy  in  superin- 
tending the  alterations  of  this  building  and  preparing  it  for  our  use. 

This  building,  so  complete  in  all  its  appointments,  so  convenient,  and  so  well  adapted 
to  the  uses  of  the  Society,  attests  the  ability  and  labor  (often  onerous)  which  that  committee 
devoted  to  the  work. 

It  has  been  my  privilege  to  have  access  to  the  De  Milt  Library,  wherein  are  deposited 
all  the  published  documents  and  reports  connected  with  the  early  history  of  this  Society. 

The  perusal  of  these  papers  has  given  me  great  satisfaction,  and  I  have  obtained 
much  valuable  information  as  to  the  organization  of  the  Society  and  the  difficulties 
encountered  by  the  early  members,  and  their  efforts  to  place  the  institution  on  a  firm 
basis.  To  their  struggles  and  perseverance  in  times  of  adversity  we  owe  much  of  our 
prosperity. 

The  initiatory  steps  have  been  taken  to  compile  a  complete  history  of  the  Society, 
from  its  foundation  to  the  present  time.    The  want  of  such  a  history  has  long  been  felt. 

I  am  confident  that  the  parties  to  whom  the  subject  has  been  referred  will  do  it 
ample  justice. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  when  we  celebrate  our  Centennial,  a  few  years  hence,  we  shall 
have  published  a  record  worthy  of  the  Society  and  its  founders. 

Of  the  many  topics  discussed  by  members  of  the  Society  during  the  past  twenty 
years,  there  has  been  none  of  greater  importance  than  the  one  relating  to  a  new  location 
and  a  new  building. 

As  long  ago  as  February,  1857,  the  President,  in  his  inaugural  address,  in  alluding  to 
the  question  of  a  new  building,  says  :  "  But  where  shall  it  be  located  ?  That  is  the 
question  which,  it  appears  to  me,  will  require  all  the  wisdom  we  possess  to  answer  satis- 
factorily. Where  is  the  best  spot  to  locate  in  order  to  carry  out  the  objects  of  the 
association  ?  The  most  central,  the  most  accessible,  and  the  most  convenient  for  those 
for  whom  it  is  designed,"  etc.,  etc. 

Brothers,  these  questions  have  all  been  answered,  and  I  believe  in  a  satisfactory  man- 
ner, and  now  the  matter  of  a  new  location  is  settled. 

I  congratulate  you  on  the  settlement  of  this  important  matter,  and  that  we  have 
obtained  this  building,  so  well  adapted  to  our  wants.  Central  and  easy  of  access,  and 
that,  too,  at  an  expense  less  than  eighty  thousand  dollars  ($80,000),  which  sum  covers  the 
cost  of  removal  and  the  expense  of  fitting  up  the  library  and  school-room. 

The  permanent  fund  of  the  Society  has  not  been  interfered  with,  and  the  several 
committees  have  been  able  to  continue  their  usefulness  without  being  crippled  in  their 
resources. 

While  it  would  have  been  very  gratifying  to  the  members  of  the  Society  to  have  had 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


369 


a  building  more  commanding  in  appearance  and  more  emblematic  of  the  Society,  I  think 
we  have  acted  prudently,  as  we  should,  with  the  trust  confided  to  us. 

At  some  future  day,  when  times  are  more  prosperous,  and  the  Society  has  become 
sufficiently  strong,  we  may  erect  a  building  which  shall  properly  represent  the  Society. 

I  would  recommend  that  proper  steps  be  taken  to  have  the  Charter  amended,  so  that 
the  election  of  officers  may  take  place  on  the  second  Tuesday  in  December,  instead  ot 
January,  as  is  now  the  case. 

The  officers  can  then  be  installed  in  January,  the  committees  can  be  named,  and 
thus  have  charge  of  the  whole  business  for  the  year  ending  December  31st. 

As  the  Charter  now  provides  for  the  election  on  the  second  Tuesday  in  January,  and 
as  the  By-Laws  provide  that  the  committees  shall  be  appointed  in  February,  it  follows 
that  the  reports  of  the  committees  for  the  year  ending  December  31st  represent  only  eleven 
months  of  their  own  work.  The  Second  Vice-President  is  ex-officio  a  member  of  the 
Finance  Committee,  and  is  therefore  a  member  of  the  committee  whose  term  expires  in 
February,  and  also  of  the  new  committee  appointed  at  the  February  meeting,  and  when 
the  Second  Vice-President  is  promoted  to  be  Vice-President  he  still  acts  with  the  old  com- 
mittee until  the  new  committee  is  appointed,  so  that  during  the  month  of  January  two 
persons  are  acting  as  members  of  the  committee  by  virtue  of  their  office  of  Second  Vice- 
President. 

Before  I  decided  to  recommend  an  amendment  to  the  Charter,  I  gave  the  matter 
very  serious  consideration,  and  tried  to  discover  some  feasible  plan  by  which  the  difficulties 
might  be  removed  without  amending  the  Charter,  hoping  that  an  amendment  to  the  By- 
Laws  would  be  sufficient. 

But,  after  a  careful  examination  of  the  whole  subject,  I  can  see  no  way  out  of  the 
difficulty  by  amending  the  By-Laws  only. 

Article  II.  of  the  Charter  provides  for  an  election  of  officers  on  the  second  Tuesday  in 
January,  and  further  provides  that  said  officers  shall  hold  office  until  their  successors  are 
elected ;  consequently  it  is  not  possible  for  us  to  provide  By-Laws  for  postponing  the  time 
when  the  officers  shall  enter  upon  their  duties  until  February. 

They  are  the  officers  of  the  Society,  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  ti  s  moment  the  vote 
is  declared. 

The  matter  of  a  formal  installation,  while  it  is  very  proper,  and  may  confer  dignity  on 
the  position,  cannot  in  any  manner  change  the  terms  of  office  as  fixed  by  the  Charter. 

Article  VII.,  Section  2,  of  the  By-Laws,  provides  that  the  Standing  Committees  shall 
be  appointed  at  the  meeting  in  February,  and  hold  office  for  one  year. 

Section  5,  Article  VII.,  also  provides  that  the  committees  shall  severally  make,  at  the 
regular  meeting  in  January,  a  full  report  of  their  transactions  during  the  year  ending  • 
December  31st.  The  only  way  to  make  the  term  of  office  of  the  several  committees  accord  - 
with  their  reports  would  be  by  an  amendment  to  the  By-Laws,  changing  the  date  in  Sec- 
tion 5,  Article  VII.,  from  December  31st  to  January  31st. 

But  that  would  not  remove  the  difficulty  I  have  alluded  to  in  relation  to  the  ex-officio 
members  of  the  Finance  Committee. 

These  are  some  of  my  reasons  for  recommending  an  amendment  of  the  Charter. 


370 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


I  am  not  aware  that  any  difficulty  has  ever  occurred,  owing  to  the  state  of  things  I 
have  called  your  attention  to ;  still  I  am  confident  that  it  is  our  duty  to  guard  against  any 
embarrassment  which  may  possibly  arise  in  the  future. 

Having  now  called  your  attention  to  the  subject,  I  leave  it  to  the  members  of  the 
Society  to  dispose  of  as  they,  in  their  wisdom,  may  deem  for  the  best  interests  of  the 
Society. 

I  would  also  recommend  that  we  adopt  suitable  forms  for  the  installation  of  the 
officers  of  the  Society. 

It  will  be  necessary  to  amend  our  By-Laws,  as  provided  for  in  the  Charter,  Article  II., 
to  fix  the  place  of  election  and  meetings  in  this  building,  although  recently  covered  by 
resolution.  No  doubt  other  changes  may  be  required  in  consequence  of  the  change  in  our 
location. 

As  my  attention  is  called  to  any  subject  necessary  for  your  consideration,  I  shall 
submit  the  same  to  you  the  first  opportunity. 

During  the  past  month  the  Society  removed  to  this  new  location,  and  the  occasion 
was  duly  celebrated  by  appropriate  exercises. 

A  reception  was  held  on  Tuesday  evening,  January  22d,  1878,  from  7  to  10. 

Addresses  were  made  by  several  eminent  gentlemen,  and  we  were  honored  by  the 
presence  of  many  distinguished  citizens,  among  whom  were  representatives  of  the  several 
departments  of  the  Municipal  Government,  and  also  of  the  leading  business  interests 
of  the  city. 

Thanking  you,  brothers,  for  the  honor  conferred  upon  me  in  electing  me  to  the  , 
position  you  have,  I  shall  say,  in  conclusion,  that  we  have  now  fairly  entered  upon  our 
work  in  the  new  building,  and  I  believe  that,  favored  by  an  overruling  Providence,  we 
shall  continue  with  the  beneficent  work  we  have  so  long  been  doing  for  the  young  of  this 
great  city,  and  that  a  field  of  even  greater  usefulness  is  now  open  to  us. 


INAUGURAL  ADDRESS  OF  PRESIDENT  JOHN  R.  VOORHIS. 
Delivered  January  14TH,  1879. 

Brothers  :  In  entering  upon  an  assumption  of  the  serious  duties  and  grave 
responsibilities  appertaining  to  the  important  and  distinguished  office  of  President  of 
this  ancient  and  most  honorable  Society,  to  which  position,  by  your  kindness  and 
partiality,  I  have  this  day  been  elevated,  I  feel  privileged  to  embrace  the  opportunity 
(with  your  permission)  of  indulging  in  a  few  remarks,  that  I  trust  may  be  considered 
as»  apropos  to  the  occasion  and  its  attendant  circumstances. 

First,  I  most  sincerely  and  gratefully  thank  you  for  the  several  honors  you  have,  from 
time  to  time,  so  kindly  bestowed  on  me,  and  especially  do  I,  with  all  my  heart,  tender  you, 
each  and  all,  my  warmest  and  most  earnest  thanks  for  the  additional  token  of  confidence 
and  respect  you  have,  this  day,  so  generously  conferred  on  me,  and  which  I  fondly  trust 
no  act  of  mine,  in  word  or  deed,  may  ever  give  you  cause  for  regret. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


371 


I  also  desire  to  express  my  pleasure  at^your  happy  choice  of  so  competent  and 
worthy  a  corps  of  associate  officers  to  assist  and  aid  in  the  care  and  administration  of  the 
various  interests  of  the  Society,  whose  merits  and  qualifications  are  too  favorably  known  to 
you  all  to  require  any  mention  by  my  lips,  their  faithful  record  in  the  past  forming  a 
sufficient  guaranty  as  to  what  may  be  expected  of  them  in  the  future. 

Several  of  my  worthy  predecessors,  in  entering  upon  their  official  duties,  have 
interested  the  Society  by  very  able  and  instructive  addresses,  many  of  them  replete  with 
information  of  an  historical  character,  full  of  reminiscences  of  the  glorious  past ;  others 
abounding  in  most  valuable  and  gratifying  statistics  of  the  time  being,  with  an  analytical 
examination  and  elucidation  of  the  component  parts  of  the  organization  ;  while  still  other 
addresses  infused  fresh  zeal  and  awakened  new  enthusiasm  by  their  inspiring  delineations 
of  the  glorious  achievements  and  the  grand  results  in  store  for  the  future  of  our  blessed 
organization. 

As  a  perfect  history  of  the  Society,  from  its  earliest  date  to  the  present  time,  complete 
in  all  details  of  interest,  is  in  a  careful  process  of  preparation  by  an  authorized  and  talented 
official,  I  think  it  would  not  only  be  in  poor  taste,  but  quite  presumptuous  for  me  to  make 
any  effort  to  further  enlighten  you  upon  the  past  records  of  the  Society,  as  also  any  attempt 
on  my  part  to  follow  in  the  lines  of  thought  that  I  have  delineated  as  characteristic  of  the 
addresses  of  my  esteemed  predecessors,  would,  I  fear,  result  in  a  failure,  alike  uninteresting 
to  my  hearers  as  it  would  be  humiliating  to  the  speaker.  I  will,  therefore,  content  myself 
by  briefly  calling  your  attention  to  some  plain,  and,  I  trust,  practical  thoughts  on  our 
Society  as  it  is  to-day,  and  what  may  be  done  to  further  promote  its  usefulness. 

Our  last  annual  meeting  found  the  Society  at  that  time  but  recently  removed  into  its 
present  head-quarters,  and  it  was  very  properly  a  question  of  considerable  anxiety  to  many 
members  whether  the  interests  of  the  libraries  and  schools  would  be  endangered  or  not  by 
the  change  in  their  location.  I  am  pleased  to  believe  that  their  usefulness  and  benefits  have 
not  been  in  the  least  impaired,  and  that,  being  now  well  furnished  and  firmly  established, 
there  is  much  to  congratulate  ourselves  upon  in  their  prospects  for  the  future ;  and  there  is 
also,  in  all  respects,  so  far  as  I  am  able  to  learn,  a  general  acquiescence  in  the  wisdom  of 
the  purchase  of  the  property  now  occupied  by  the  Society,  and  its  adaptation  to  the  pur- 
poses of  a  Mechanics'  Hall,  with  its  many  increased  conveniences  and  facilities  for  the 
members  of  the  Society  and  its  numerous  beneficiaries. 

In  this  connection,  I  desire  to  call  your  attention  to  the  comparatively  unenjoyed 
advantages  of  the  Members'  Reading-room,  so  eligibly  located,  elegantly  and  conveniently 
furnished,  and  bountifully  supplied  (as  may  be  needed)  with  choice  reading  matter,  and 
which  affords  so  inviting  a  rendezvous  to  our  many  members,  that  I  trust  they  will  liberally 
avail  themselves  of  its  privileges  in  their  hours  of  leisure,  which  may  be  done  with  advan- 
tage both  to  the  Society  and  visiting  members. 

By  the  various  annual  reports  of  the  several  officers  and  committees  which  have  this 
day  been  submitted,  it  is  gratifying  to  learn  of  the  continued  well-being  and  increasingly 
prosperous  condition  of  the  Society  in  its  several  departments,  and  their  various  spheres  of 
interest  and  usefulness,  thereby  truly  reflecting,  I  am  justified  in  saying,  great  credit  upon 
the  ability  and  efficiency  of  your  faithful  officials  for  the  year  just  closed. 


372 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


The  past  year  has  been  quite  marked,  in  comparison  with  former  years,  in  the  known 
decease  of  a  much  larger  number  of  our  worthy  associates  than  usual  —  ten  members 
having  been  duly  chronicled  as  terminating  their  earthly  career ;  in  which  fact,  sad  and 
sorrowful  as  it  was  to  all,  was  solemnly  recognized  the  hand  of  an  overruling  Providence. 

We  have,  however,  much  cause  for  thankfulness  in  the  manifestation  of  an  unusual 
desire  on  the  part  of  many  of  our  esteemed  fellow-citizens  to  be  enrolled  as  associates — 
twenty-six  having  been  adjudged  worthy,  and  regularly  admitted  to  fellowship  during  the 
past  year,  a  number  far  in  excess  of  that  of  any  similar  period  of  time  for  several 
years  past. 

I  would  respectfully  call  your  attention  to  the  very  unreliable  list  of  members  (as 
relates  to  their  existence  or  decease  as  they  appear  upon  the  published  rolls  of  member- 
ship), which,  notwithstanding  the  best  efforts  on  the  part  of  your  officials  to  keep  them- 
selves conversant  with  the  circumstances  thereof,  I  am  well  satisfied  is  quite  inaccurate  in 
very  many  cases ;  and  I  would  suggest  that  suitable  measures  be  taken,  at  an  early  day,  to 
secure  a  reliable  correction  thereof,  by  a  reference  of  the  work  to  some  designated  official, 
or  to  one  of  the  Standing  Committees,  or  to  a  committee  to  be  specially  created  for  the 
purpose,  as  your  judgment  may  lead  you  to  determine. 

Your  finances,  thanks  to  an  able,  energetic,  and  conservative  Committee  of  Finance, 
are  in  a  very  healthy  and  prosperous  condition ;  and,  while  on  the  subject,  I  feel  that  I 
would  be  derelict  in  a  duty,  if  I  failed  to  pay  an  honestly  deserved  tribute  to  the  integrity, 
efficiency,  and  faithfulness  at  all  times  displayed  in  his  official  action  by  our  late  worthy- 
Treasurer,  Brother  Daniel  D.  Wright,  who,  at  his  own  request,  and  to  the  great  regret  of 
all,  voluntarily  retires  from  his  honorable  and  trusted  position,  with  the  coveted  and  well- 
merited  title  of,  "  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant."  May  heaven's  choicest  blessings 
ever  be  and  abide  with  him. 

Our  noble  band  of  brothers,  who  have,  for  so  many,  many  years  past,  in  season  and 
out  of  season,  faithfully  represented  the  primary  objects  of  our  organization  in  the  per- 
formance of  their  duties  as  members  of  your  Pension  Committee,  have  earned  a  debt  of 
gratitude  that  can  never  be  paid,  by  the  sacrifices  made  of  their  many  home  comforts  and 
domestic  pleasures,  in  the  performance  of  their  arduous  labors,  succoring  the  needy, 
relieving  the  sick,  comforting  the  afflicted,  and  burying  the  dead,  all  of  which  they  kindly 
and  thoroughly  attended  to,  in  the  name  of,  and  to  the  honor  and  credit  of  the  Society. 
And,  I  assure  you,  it  is  with  much  sorrow  and  very  great  reluctance  that  I  am  compelled, 
owing  to  positive  and  absolute  requests  to  that  effect,  to  relieve  so  many  of  the  members 
of  the  Pension  Committee  of  the  past  year  from  a  continuation  of  their  services  in  the 
same  capacity  for  the  present  year. 

The  committee  having  charge  of  your  schools  have  diligently  and  successfully 
administered  the  important  trusts  confided  to  their  care,  and  at  no  time  in  the  history 
of  the  Society,  since  the  adoption  of  the  present  system  of  supplying  gratuitous  education 
in  the  various  branches  embraced  in  the  schools,  has  a  more  worthy  and  interesting  class 
of  pupils  filled  the  school-rooms  than  do  so  to-day,  affording  much  encouragement  to  the 
friends  of  education,  with  great  hopes  of  lasting  future  benefits,  not  only  to  the  pupils,  but 
likewise  to  the  entire  community.    And  especially  with  pride  do  I  invoke  your  attention 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


373 


to  the  gratifying  success  attendant  upon  the  school  for  females, —  applications  for  admission 
to  which  are  far  in  excess  of  its  capacities, —  the  attendance  being  good,  and  the  studies 
diligently  observed,  with  very  promising  results. 

The  imperfect  ventilation  to  the  rooms  for  males,  or  main  hall,  which  at  first 
prevailed,  has  been  a  subject  of  considerable  anxiety  and  much  study,  on  the  part  of  the 
proper  officials,  during  the  past  year.  But  I  am  pleased  to  state,  that  this  serious 
objection  has  been  skillfully  treated,  and  in  the  main  removed.  If,  however,  any  further 
difficulty  should  be  found  to  exist  in  that  direction,  I  would  most  earnestly  recommend 
that  prompt  and  effective  measures  be  taken  to  remove  the  same,  as  far  as  it  is  possible 
to  do  so. 

The  establishment  of  a  Public  Reading-room  in  Mechanics'  Hall,  the  past  year, 
under  the  auspices  of  your  Library  Committee,  has  been  attended  with  very  gratifying 
results,  and  constitutes  an  important  feature  in  the  labors  of  the  committee,  who  are  also 
to  be  commended  for  the  zeal  manifested  in  their  work  at  all  times,  and  for  the  rapid  and 
successful  transfer  of  the  property  in  their  charge,  from  the  late  to  the  present  location  of 
the  library,  and  the  prompt  preparation  made  for  the  re-issue  of  books,  etc. 

I  most  heartily  approve  of  the  recent  extension  and  enlargement  of  the  privileges  of 
the  libraries,  especially  so  to  the  several  classes  of  industrious  fellow-beings  who  have 
heretofore  been  deprived  of  their  gratuitous  use  and  benefits. 

In  order  that  no  unnecessary  restrictions  may  exist  to  the  free  circulation  of  the 
libraries,  and  that  the  conditions  of  the  De  Milt  bequest  may  be  complied  with  on  the 
part  of  the  Society,  I  would  respectfully  recommend  that  the  resolutions  adopted  by  the 
Society,  October  7th,  1873,  in  relation  to  said  bequest,  be  so  amended  as  to  authorize  and 
direct  the  Library  Committee  to  pay  a  small  stated  sum  per  annum,  from  the  amount 
appropriated  for  the  Apprentices'  Library  to  the  fund  for  the  De  Milt  Library,  and  also 
make  such  other  modifications  to  the  said  resolutions  as  may  seem  wise  and  necessary  to 
accomplish  the  purpose  before  named. 

I  also  desire  to  call  your  attention  to  the  reported  indebtedness  of  the  fund  for  the 
maintenance  of  the  De  Milt  Library,  occasioned,  I  am  informed,  chiefly  by  the  unavoid- 
able expenses  attendant  upon  the  removal  and  adaptation  of  the  old,  and  the  construction 
of  the  requisite  additional  book-cases  for  the  use  of  the  library.  I  would  recommend  that 
a  temporary  loan  be  made  to  the  De  Milt  fund  in  anticipation  of  its  established  income,  in 
order  that  said  indebtedness  may  be  promptly  liquidated,  and  also  I  would  suggest  that 
the  committee  be  directed  to  purchase  no  more  books  on  account  of  said  library  until  all 
existing  debts  and  loans  made  on  account  thereof  are  paid  in  full. 

The  Committee,  charged  by  the  Society  with  the  duty  of  Promoting  and  Dissemina- 
ting Literary  and  Scientific  Knowledge,  have  presented  for  the  present  season  a  goodly 
array  of  subjects  and  lectures,  intended  for  the  edification  of  the  Society  and  its  friends; 
and  while  it  cannot  be  truly  said  that  in  all  cases  they  have  been  of  the  highest  order  of 
literature,  nor  yet  of  the  most  scientific  research  or  character,  the  lectures  have  been  thus 
far  well  attended,  patiently  listened  to,  sharply  though  justly  criticised,  and  liberally  paid 
for  by  the  Society ;  and,  in  thus  candidly  expressing  myself,  I  intend  to  cast  no  unpleasant 
reflections  on  the  efforts  of  the  committee,  for  I  am  fully  convinced  that,  in  the  discharge 


374 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


of  the  duties  assigned  to  them,  they  have  exercised  their  best  judgment,  and  been  actuated 
solely  by  a  desire  to  carry  out  the  purposes  and  comply  with  the  desires  of  the  Society. 
Yet,  I  think  the  committee  will  acknowledge  an  occasional  disappointment  even  to  their 
own  expectations  in  the  result  of  their  efforts.  Let  us  hope  that  experience  may  teach  us 
wisdom  in  this  direction  as  well  as  in  all  others,  and  that  we  may  profit  thereby.  There 
are  none  perfect — no,  not  one. 

In  connection  with  the  subject  of  the  annual  lectures,  it  has  frequently  occurred  to 
me  that  some  improvements  might  be  made  in  the  matter  of  providing  eligible  seats 
thereat  to  the  members  of  the  Society  and  their  families.  I  would  respectfully  suggest 
for  your  consideration  that  a  necessary  number  of  the  alternate  rows  of  seats  be  reserved 
up  to  a  given  time,  say  five  minutes  preceding  the  commencement  of  a  lecture,  for  the 
exclusive  use  of  members  and  their  families,  who  would  be  provided  with  special  tickets 
therefor;  and  it  might  also  be  further  provided  that  the  seats  so  reserved  should  be 
assigned  by  lot  to  the  several  members  of  the  Society  during  the  lecture  course,  or  for  any 
portion  thereof,  as  might  be  deemed  most  advisable.  If  some  such  arrangement  could  be 
perfected,  it  would  obviate  the  necessity,  now  so  frequently  resorted  to  by  the  membership, 
of  an  attendance  at  the  lecture  hall  thirty  to  forty  minutes  prior  to  the  commencement  of 
a  lecture,  in  order  that  an  eligible  sitting  may  be  obtained,  while  at  the  same  time  no 
injustice  would  be  done  to  the  friends  of  the  Society,  who  are  always  welcome,  and  would 
have  at  their  command  an  equal  number  of  desirable  sittings,  receiving  them  on  the  same 
conditions  as  at  present,  of  "  first  come,  first  served."  May  I  not  ask,  also,  that  the  special 
invitations  extended  by  the  committee  to  past  and  present  officials  of  the  Society  to  occupy 
seats  on  the  platform  on  the  occasion  of  our  lectures  be  more  generally  responded  to  in 
the  future  than  heretofore,  it  being  not  only  due  to  the  committee  as  a  courteous  recogni- 
tion of  the  invitation,  but  also  to  the  credit  of  the  Society — for  if  any  representation  of  the 
organization  is  to  take  place  on  such  occasions  it  should  be  well  done,  by  a  creditable 
display  of  numbers. 

And  now,  in  referring  briefly  in  the  last,  though  not  in  the  least  place,  to  the 
operations  of  the  Building  and  Sinking  Fund  Committee,  it  is  with  pleasure  I  express  my 
veneration  and  regard  for  that  worthy  departed  brother,  whose  wisdom  and  deep 
solicitude  for  the  enduring  welfare  of  the  Society  led  him  to  propose  the  creation  of  that 
fund,  through  whose  agency  and  its  skillful  management,  by  an  able  and  faithful  committee, 
the  Society  was  enabled  so  successfully  to  accomplish  the  long  and  oft-expressed  desire  of 
so  many  of  its  members,  that  a  more  appropriate  location  and  a  suitable  building  for  a 
head-quarters  be  provided  for  the  Society  and  the  great  work  it  has  in  hand ;  and  I  trust 
our  efforts  will  not  rest  here,  but  that  we  will  continue  to  foster  and  enlarge  this  worthy 
feature  of  our  Society,  until  it  shall  be  its  privilege  and  duty  to  occupy  a  location,  with  a 
building  thereon  inferior  in  its  design,  construction,  and  adaptation  to  its  purposes  and 
needs  to  no  other  in  America,  from  and  through  which  it  will  diffuse  in  every  direction  its 
benefits  to  all  the  industrious  and  producing  classes  of  this  vast  city,  taking  its  proper 
position,  and  receiving  the  deserved  recognition  of  "  the  leading  Society  of  the  great 
metropolis." 

During  the  past  year  several  important  amendments  have  been  made  to  the  By-Laws- 
of  the  Society,  after  a  protracted  discussion  and  mature  consideration  thereof ;  and 


MECHANICS     AND     TRADESMEN.  375 

although  in  some  of  the  proposed  changes  there  was  naturally  a  difference  of  opinion  as  to 
their  advisability,  on  the  whole  I  hope  the  results  will  prove  satisfactory  to  the  member- 
ship generally,  and  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  the  By-Laws  of  the  Society,  as  they 
exist  to-day,  have  my  most  hearty  approval,  and  will  receive  at  my  hand,  I  trust,  a  wise 
and  liberal  interpretation,  as  I  doubt  not  they  will  from  the  members  an  earnest  support, 
notwithstanding  the  known  and  established  reputation  of  the  Society  for  its  general 
opposition  to  all  radical  changes  in  its  organization,  laws,  or  usages. 

Brothers,  changes  in  this  world  are  necessary  and  imperative,  and  constantly  taking 
place,  being  wisely  ordained  by  the  Creator  of  all  things  as  a  proof  of  man's  inferiority  to 
his  Maker;  for  when  man  can  create  an  imperishable  object,  or  produce  a  literally  perfect 
specimen  of  his  handiwork,  whether  it  be  the  result  of  his  mental  or  physical  labor,  which 
will  require  no  change,  improvement,  or  addition  for  all  futurity,  then  he  can  safely  lay 
claim  to  have  arrived  at  a  state  of  perfection  heretofore  unknown,  and  to  be  endowed,  like 
his  Creator,  with  the  power  of  immortality. 

I  earnestly  desire  that  the  several  members  of  the  various  committees  that  may,  this 
evening,  be  appointed  by  the  Society,  will  zealously  endeavor  to  be  present  at  all  its 
meetings,  in  order  that  they  may  become  the  better  acquainted  with  its  needs  and  desires, 
and  thereby  act  intelligently  on  all  the  subjects  referred  to  them,  as  the  success  of  any 
organization  depends  materially  upon  the  attention  given  and  the  interest  shown  in  its 
affairs  in  all  its  details,  by  the  various  officers  and  working  committees  thereof. 

My  worthy  predecessor  very  properly  called  your  attention  to  the  incongruities 
arising  from  the  period  appointed  by  the  charter  of  the  Society  as  the  time  for  holding  the 
annual  meeting,  and  the  provision  of  the  late  By-Laws,  designating  the  time  of  appoint- 
ment of  the  various  Standing  Committees,  resulting  in  a  confusion  and  embarrassment  at 
times,  that  it  was  desirable  to  obviate,  if  possible.  This  difficulty  has  been  partially,  if  not 
entirely  remedied  by  the  amended  By-Laws;  but,  in  this  connection,  I  have  a  thought  to 
suggest  for  your  future  consideration,  in  the  leisure  moments  you  may  have  between  the 
present  time  and  when  it  may  become  necessary  to  again  apply  for  a  further  extension  of 
the  privileges  conferred  upon  this  incorporation  by  the  charter  it  holds  from  the  people  of 
the  State  of  New-York,  and  that  is,  in  view  of  the  change  and  separ-  ion  annually,  to  a 
greater  or  lesser  extent,  of  the  several  Standing  Committees — in  the  midst,  as  it  were,  of 
their  work  of  a  season,  by  which  it  devolves  upon  one  body  of  members  to  inaugurate, 
and  another  (their  successors)  to  carry  out  or  complete  a  system  or  plan  of  work  with 
which  both  parties  may  not  be  in  perfect  unison  and  accord.  I  refer  more  especially  to 
the  School  and  Library  Committees,  and  the  Committee  for  Promoting  and  Disseminating 
Literary  and  Scientific  Knowledge.  In  the  case  of  each  of  these  committees,  the  work  for 
their  respective  customary  terms  or  natural  seasons  is  arranged  for  and  carried  forward 
by  the  members  of  those  committees  of  different  years,  as  thus  :  These  said  committees  for 
the  present  year  will  enter  upon  their  several  duties  with  a  policy  and  system  for  their 
guidance  and  control  in  existence  as  established  by  their  predecessors,  and  whether  in 
harmony  with  their  views  or  not,  they  cannot  wisely  change  the  same,  if  they  would,  for 
months  in  the  future. 

Would  it  not  be  well,  therefore,  to  change,  in  a  proper  and  lawful  manner,  the  date  of 
the  annual  meeting  from  January  to  June  or  July,  when  a  more  natural  beginning  and 


376 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


ending  of  the  seasons  of  work  of  the  Society  would  seem  to  be  ?  I  leave  the  subject  to 
your  careful  consideration. 

In  conclusion,  permit  me  to  congratulate  the  Society  upon  the  present  year,  being  the 
first  in  its  history,  of  the  absolute  freedom  (to  all  entitled  to  participate  therein)  of  the 
privileges  and  advantages  of  acquiring  knowledge  and  education  through  its  schools  and 
libraries  and  reading-rooms. 

Boys  and  girls,  men  and  women,  old  and  young,  with  simply  the  badge  of  industry 
on  their  breast,  may  now  freely  enjoy,  to  their  hearts'  content,  the  benefits  and  pleasures  to 
be  had  from  most  excellent  and  well-managed  schools,  well  supplied  and  ever-growing 
libraries  and  reading-rooms,  and  all  without  money  and  without  price. 

Brothers,  rejoice  and  be  glad,  for  ye  know  not  what  good  ye  do. 

Finally,  I  beseech  you  all  to  sustain  me  in  my  humble  efforts  to  promote  the  interests 
and  welfare  of  this  grand  and  noble  Society,  kindly  overlooking  my  short-comings  and 
pardoning  my  errors,  ever  remembering  "  that  to  err  is  human,  to  forgive  divine." 


INAUGURAL  ADDRESS  OF  PRESIDENT  ALEXANDER  GAW. 
Delivered  January  13TH,  1880. 

Brothers  :  In  a  review  of  the  past,  and  carefully  looking  over  what  has  been  said  to 
this  Society  by  those  who  have  so  recently  preceded  me  in  the  position  which,  by  your 
kindness,  I  have  this  day  the  honor  to  occupy,  there  is  little  room  left  whereby  I  can  intro- 
duce to  you  an  improvement  that  would  advance  the  interest  and  welfare  of  this  Institution 
better  than  to  suggest  a  careful  perusal  of  the  wise  and  correct  views  of  my  predecessors  ; 
containing,  as  they  do,  all  the  advisement  necessary  appertaining  to  each  department  of 
this  Society. 

THE  FINANCE  COMMITTEE. 

In  their  annual  report  you  will  find,  by  a  reference  to  it,  a  correct  financial  statement 
of  all  that  comes  under  their  supervision  and  care. 

I  would  recommend,  in  consequence  of  a  large  amount  of  bonds  held  by  the  Society 
being  called  in  by  the  General  Government,  although  a  reinvestment  of  the  same  has  been 
made,  at  a  reduced  rate  of  interest,  thereby  materially  decreasing  the  income  of  die  Society, 
it  behooves  us  that  economy  should  be  exercised  in  all  the  different  departments. 

THE  COMMITTEE  ON  PENSIONS. 

By  untiring  diligence  to  their  duty,  they  have  fully  given,  in  their  Annual  Report,  a 
strict  account  of  their  doings,  showing  that  they  have  thoroughly  investigated  the  condition 
and  circumstances  of  each  applicant  and  pensioner,  relieving  and  supplying  the  wants  of 
the  sick  and  needy  brother,  the  widows  and  orphans  of  deceased  members.  This,  then,  was 
the  primary  and  commendable  object  of  the  founders  of  this  association.  Brothers,  to  do 
good  and  distribute,  forget  not,  for  with  such  sacrifices  God  is  well  pleased. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


377 


THE  SCHOOL  COMMITTEE, 

In  their  Annual  Report,  give  a  full  and  satisfactory  account  of  an  improvement  in 
each  branch  of  the  School  intrusted  to  their  care  and  direction,  showing  that  its  progress 
will  reach  a  standard  of  excellence  exceeding  any  of  previous  years. 

Having  employed  competent  teachers  for  the  Architectural,  Mechanical,  and  Free 
Hand  Drawing  Classes,  likewise  the  Writing  and  Book-keeping  Class  (as  usual  this  Class 
is  composed  chiefly  of  young  men  employed  in  counting-houses),  I  regret  to  say,  there  are 
few  mechanic  apprentices. 

The  Female  Drawing  Classes  are  well  attended  by  an  industrious  and  select  class  of 
pupils,  under  the  tuition  of  a  lady  teacher,  competent  for  the  position,  the  instruction  being 
of  two  kinds  —  drawing  from  ornament  and  casts. 

A  reference  to  the  Committee's  Report  will  give  the  particulars  as  to  the  number  of 
scholars  in  each  department. 

THE  LIBRARY  COMMITTEE. 

In  their  Annual  Report  the  following  satisfactory  result  is  given,  showing  with  what 
care  the  books  contained  in  the  Libraries  have  been  loaned  out  to  the  various  readers :  The 
whole  number  of  volumes  in  the  Apprentices'  and  De  Milt  Libraries  August  30th,  1879, 
57,462  ;  number  of  readers  for  the  season,  7,894,  of  whom  3,371  were  boys,  3,601  were 
girls,  661  were  journeymen,  sales-ladies,  and  teachers;  261  to  members  and  their  families, 
being  88  more  than  last  year. 

Number  of  volumes  used  for  the  season,  156,261,  all  which  have  been  returned  but  27, 
being  the  smallest  number  ever  reported  lost. 

The  Reading-Room  of  the  Library  is  attended  by  a  class  of  readers,  averaging  daily 
95,  or  28,634  for  the  season. 

THE  LITERARY  AND  SCIENTIFIC  COMMITTEE 

Have  proved  themselves  equal  to  the  trust  confided  to  them.  The  subjects  selected 
for  the  course  this  season  are  instructive  and  interesting,  affording  the  members  and  their 
families  the  pleasure  of  hearing  some  of  our  most  talented  men  in  Lectures  and  Readings. 
This  sufficiently  compensates  the  Society  for  the  outlay  so  freely  granted  the  committee  for 
such  purposes,  and  gives  to  all  a  lively  interest  to  be  present  on  each  occasion,  filling  the 
hall  with  an  attentive  and  intelligent  audience. 

THE  BUILDING  AND  SINKING  FUND  COMMITTEE, 

Always  looking  after  the  present  and  future  welfare  of  the  Society,  adding  yearly  to 
the  Sinking  Fund  the  surplus  the  Society  has  to  spare.  This  in  due  time  will  reach  the 
required  object,  and  eventually  build  up  the  future  greatness  of  this  Institution,  on  a  new 
location,  with  a  new  hall  of  sufficient  dimensions  that  will  answer  all  our  purposes. 

THE  AUDITING  COMMITTEE. 

Their  reported  examination  of  the  different  accounts,  for  the  past  year,  furnishes  the 
Society  a  complete  and  satisfactory  result,  proving  how  faithful  and  careful  the  financial 
condition  of  the  Society  stands,  and  is  accounted  for. 


378 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


Brothers,  in  conclusion,  I  sincerely  thank  you  for  this  honorable  token  of  your 
kindness,  believing  and  trusting  that  you  will  extend  to  me  that  support  which  is  so  requi- 
site and  necessary  for  me  to  ask.  Continuing  in  this  hope,  I  shall  use  my  utmost  endeavor 
to  discharge  the  responsible  duty  appertaining  to  the  office  of  President  of  this  honorable 
Society,  which  has  been  so  providentially  blessed,  guided,  as  it  has  been,  by  the  wise  coun- 
sel of  its  members.  Jointly  let  us  continue  to  do  our  duty  as  brothers,  like  the  founders 
of  the  Institution,  and  God  will  bless  us  and  sustain  us  to  carry  on  the  good  work  com- 
mitted to  our  careful  and  just  direction. 


INAUGURAL  ADDRESS  OF  PRESIDENT  JOHN  BANTA. 
Delivered  January  iith,  1881. 

Brothers  :  Another  year  of  grace  has  just  passed  away,  and  what  I  hope  will  be  still 
another  to  us  all  has  just  begun,  and  by  your  kind  favor  I  have  been  called  upon  during 
its  continuance  to  preside  over  our  Society. 

In  thanking  you  for  this  honor,  I  must  also  express  our  common  thanks  for  the  con- 
tinuance of  renewed  prosperity  and  activity  in  almost  every  branch  of  trade,  business,  and 
manufacture  in  our  country  and  city,  which  so  nearly  affects  the  welfare  of  every  one  of  us. 

The  first  thing  which  should  occupy  the  thoughts  of  all  good  men,  on  crossing  the 
threshold  of  a  new  year,  is  the  consideration  of  the  manner  in  which  their  influence  and 
power  of  doing  further  good  can  be  most  extended  and  enlarged,  and  their  usefulness  and 
respect  in  the  eyes  of  their  fellow-men  most  increased. 

Now,  so  let  it  be  with  us,  and  let  these  matters  have  our  serious  attention  at  this  time 
in  our  Society. 

How  can  we  best  carry  out,  in  the  broadest  spirit,  its  intended  aims  and  usefulness, 
and  do  the  most  good  to  the  greatest  number  of  all  those  entitled  to  receive  benefit  from 
us  ?    Let  us  try  and  briefly  make  a  few  suggestions  toward  answering  this  question. 

Now,  it  is  a  common  saying  that  Americans  have  no  grandfathers,  but,  however  this 
may  be,  it  certainly  does  not  apply  to  us,  for  if  we  look  at  the  original  act  of  our  incorpo- 
ration of  March  14th,  1792,  we  will  find,  that  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  mechanics  and 
tradesmen  of  this  city  are  represented  as  having  associated  themselves  together  under  the 
style  of  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New-York.  At 
that  time,  from  an  examination  of  the  best  authorities  upon  the  subject,  it  will  be  found  that 
the  population  of  the  City  of  New- York  was  something  under  forty  thousand.  By  the 
recent  census,  taken  last  year,  under  direction  of  the  Federal  authorities,  its  present  popu- 
lation is  about  one  million  two  hundred  and  fifteen  thousand.  In  this  same  proportion  of 
increase,  for  I  do  not  think  that  in  the  progress  of  invention  and  skilled  labor  that  the 
number  falling  within  our  definition  of  mechanics  and  tradesmen  has  diminished  propor- 
tionately, but  has  rather  increased,  consequently  our  Society  should  number  about  five 
thousand  members ;  but  what  will  you  say  when  I  remind  you  that  instead  of  this,  our 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


379 


total  number  at  present  is  only  about  seven  hundred.  Instead  of  having,  in  eighty-eight 
years,  kept  pace  with  and  increased,  like  our  population,  about  thirty-fold,  it  has  only  risen 
from  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  to  about  seven  hundred.  In  the  ten  years  just  passed, 
the  initiations  and  deaths  reported  have  been  as  follows : 


Initiations.      Deaths  reported. 


23 

16 

*5 

14 

14 

1 1 

18 

17 

26 

16 

14 

10 

9 

5 

26 

14 

18 

14 

10 

1871 
1872 

1873 
1874 

1875 

1876 

1877 
1878 

1879 

1880 


A  total  of  173  initiations  and  130  deaths,  leaving  an  apparent  gain  of  only  43 ;  but  as 
it  is  not  believed  that  all  the  deaths  have  been  reported,  the  real  gain  is  probably  under 
this  last  figure. 

So  we  see  that  the  trouble  is  not  that  we  have  not  had  enough  grandfathers,  but  that 
the  grandfathers  have  not  had  enough  grandchildren. 

Can  we,  in  this  great  metropolis  of  the  western  world,  be  considered  as  fulfilling  our 
mission,  when  out  of  the  tens  of  thousands  in  our  million  and  a  quarter  of  people,  of  those 
who  are  proud  in  the  true  dignity  of  labor  to  call  themselves  mechanics  and  tradesmen 
(that  is,  men  skilled  in  a  trade),  we  can  only  muster  on  our  membership  roll  about  seven 
hundred. 

Are  we  exerting  sufficient  energy  ?  Are  we  all  heartily  at  work  ?  Are  we  keenly  and 
positively  alive  to  the  importance  of  increasing  our  membership,  and  thereby  making  our 
influence  more  widespread  ?  Are  we  opening  up  the  store-house  of  knowledge  and  infor- 
mation in  our  library  ?    Are  we  diffusing  the  magic  of  instruction  in  (  ir  schools  ? 

We  often  notice,  in  these  days,  business  firms,  with  the  word  "  Limited  "  after  their 
names,  but  our  Society  was  evidently  not  intended  to  be  one  of  that  class,  for  our  pre- 
decessors in  the  trusts  confided  by  the  Legislature  of  this  State,  you  will  observe,  were 
incorporated  as  "  The  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen."  There  is  nothing 
"  Limited,"  or  special,  or  peculiar  about  us ;  we  are  the  "general"  society,  that  is,  the  society 
for  all.  The  very  last  clause  of  our  original  charter  is  to  the  effect,  that  it  was  a  "  public 
act,"  and  was  to  be  "  construed  in  all  Courts  and  places  benignly  and  favorably,  for  every 
beneficial  purpose  therein  intended." 

Having  put  our  hands  to  the  plow,  let  us  not  turn  back ;  let  us  not  be  content  with 
letting  well-enough  alone. 

Let  every  one  of  us  strive  to  increase  our  membership,  and  to  bring  within  our  ranks 
all  those,  especially  of  the  younger  men,  who,  by  industrious  habits  and  good  character, 
are  qualified  to  be  received  among  us.    Let  us  make  personal  effort  to  accomplish  this  great 


38o 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


result.  Those  of  us  who  have  numbers  in  our  employ,  others  of  us  who  have  many  friends 
and  acquaintances,  can  surely,  with  a  little  individual  and  united  effort,  double  or  even 
treble  our  membership  within  a  comparatively  short  time.  If  there  are  any  obstacles  in  the 
way,  let  us  consider  what  can  be  done  to  remove  them,  remembering  that,  "  whatsoever 
thy  hand  findeth  to  do,  do  it  with  thy  might." 

Turning  once  more  to  that  old  charter's  text  —  there  is  nothing  like  sticking  to  the 
text — we  find  that  the  act  is  entitled  "An  Act  to  incorporate  the  Society  of  Mechanics 
and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New-York,  for  charitable  purposes" ;  to  enable  our  incorpo- 
rators and  their  successors  "  more  beneficently  to  carry  into  effect  their  charitable  inten- 
tions " ;  and,  that  our  Society  was  formed  "  for  the  laudable  purposes  of  protecting  and 
supporting  such  of  our  brethren  as,  by  sickness  or  accident,  may  stand  in  need  of  assist- 
ance, and  for  the  relief  of  the  widows  and  orphans  of  those  who  may  die  leaving  little  or 
no  property  for  their  support" ;  and  again  we  read  further  on,  that  certain  things  were 
to  be  done,  "  to  the  end  that  the  funds  of  the  said  corporation  may  never  be  diverted  to 
any  other  than  the  charitable  purposes  for  which  the  institution  has  been  expressly  made 
and  created." 

I  am,  of  course,  well  aware  that  the  Legislature  subsequently  passed  acts  in  our 
interest,  extending  our  power  to  use  the  funds  for  the  establishment,  support,  and  main- 
tenance of  our  School  and  Lib  rary,  but  I  call  your  particular  attention  to  what  was  the 
original  intent  and  object  in  the  formation  of  our  organization. 

Now,  these  charitable  and  benevolent  puqioses,  it  seems  to  me,  should  be  ever  upper- 
most in  our  minds,  in  considering  how  we  may  best  fulfill  our  duties  and  responsibilities  in 
connection  with  our  Society. 

The  difficult  task  which  our  able  and  painstaking  Pension  Committee  has  undertaken, 
in  looking  after  the  many  deserving  cases  of  misfortune  and  necessity  arising  from  sickness, 
accident,  or  death,  which  come  to  their  attention,  has  been  self-sacrificingly  and  kindly  per- 
formed by  them.  They  deserve  all  praise,  and  while  thanking  them,  we  cannot  but  stop  to 
inquire  after  this  first  reminder  of  the  intentions  of  our  predecessors,  whether  or  not,  we 
cannot  do  still  more  in  this  same  direction.  This  noble  branch  of  our  work  appeals  to  the 
hearts  and  sympathies  of  every  one  of  us.  With  no  feeling  but  of  the  humblest  gratitude 
for  the  good  fortune  with  which  so  many  of  us  have  been  blessed,  let  us  remember  that 
even  as  God  has  increased  our  store,  so  should  we  remember  the  poor,  the  sick,  and  the 
needy  of  our  brothers  and  their  families. 

In  the  consideration  of  these  matters,  I  am  sure  that  each  and  every  one  of  you  has 
but  the  same  disposition  as  myself,  and  that  is,  to  do  all  we  can  in  the  way  of  suggestion, 
assistance,  and  such  actual  work  as  may  be  necessary  under  our  present,  and,  in  many 
respects,  excellent  system,  to  assist  our  indigent  members  and  their  families. 

The  annual  reports  of  our  different  Standing  Committees,  the  Finance,  School, 
Library,  Pension,  Literary  and  Scientific  and  Building  and  Sinking  Fund  Committees,  and 
of  our  Treasurer,  will  be  presented  with  the  usual  carefulness  and  completeness  of  detail, 
relating  to  their  various  offices.  I  shall  not  refer  to  them  now  at  any  length,  as  they  will 
be  printed  and  distributed  for  more  thorough  examination  among  all  that  may  desire  them. 
They  show  the  results  of  earnest  and  circumspect  labor  on  the  part  of  those  of  our  brothers 
specially  engaged  upon  them,  and  will  be  well  worthy  of  being  read  and  preserved. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


Brothers,  it  is  gratifying  to  know  that  the  financial  affairs  of  the  Society  are  in  a 
healthy  condition,  and  that  during  the  past  year  no  disaster  to,  or  shrinkage  of  its  income 
of  consequence  has  occurred,  but  the  Society  is  steadily  adding  to  its  permanent  fund.  It 
is  proper  that  your  attention  should  be  again  called  to  the  desirability  of  changing  the 
date  of  our  annual  election,  and  the  time  of  appointing  our  several  committees,  to  some 
time  in  the  month  of  December,  so  that  these  events  may  happen  and  the  new  officers  be 
installed  in  office  for  the  ensuing  year  before  our  fiscal  and  calendar  years  begin.  By 
making  such  a  change,  considerable  embarrassment  would  be  removed. 

I  would  refer  to  a  subject  in  which  we  all  take  a  pardonable  pride,  and  that  is,  the  his- 
tory of  our  Society,  which,  as  most  of  you  are  doubtless  already  aware,  was,  under  a  reso- 
lution offered  and  passed  about  three  years  ago,  referred  to  the  Literary  and  Scientific 
Committee  to  take  into  consideration  the  advisability  of  having  the  history  of  the  Society 
written  from  its  formation.  That  committee  afterward,  under  authority  given  to  them, 
employed  our  secretary  to  write  such  a  history,  who,  having  completed  it,  has  read  the 
manuscript  before  a  committee  selected  for  that  purpose  from  the  Literary  and  Scientific 
Committee,  and,  I  understand,  it  gives  general  satisfaction  to  all  who  have  heard  it  read ; 
so  much  so,  that  they  desire  to  have  it  printed  and  bound  in  a  fitting  manner.  I  would  be 
happy  to  indorse  such  favorable  action  as  you  may  think  proper  to  take  in  this  matter. 

Brothers,  let  us  heartily  resolve  to  do  all  in  our  power  and  means  to  push  forward  and 
extend  the  grand  opportunities  before  us  of  enlarging  the  usefulness,  welfare,  and  benefi- 
cence of  our  ancient  and  yet  ever-young  Society,  so  that  when  we  come  to  give  place  to 
those  who  are  destined  to  succeed  us  in  our  trusts,  we  may  have  the  consciousness  that 
we  have  not  done  those  things  which  we  ought  not  to  have  done,  but  that  we  have  indeed 
done,  one  and  all  of  us,  all  those  good  works  which  we  ought  to  have  done. 


APPENDIX  S. 


CHARTER 

Of  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New-York.    Passed  April  3d,  181 1. 

Whereas,  The  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New-York,  by 
their  memorial  presented  to  this  Legislature,  have  set  forth  and  represented  that  the  act 
passed  the  14th  of  March,  1792,  by  which  said  Society  was  constituted  a  body  corporate 
and  politic,  will,  on  the  first  Monday  of  April,  which  will  be  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  1812, 


382 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


expire  and  cease  by  its  own  limitation ;  and  whereas,  said  Society,  by  their  memorial,  have 
prayed  for  a  renewal  and  extension  of  the  term  of  their  incorporation,  and  likewise  to  have 
the  charter  so  amended  as  to  enable  them  to  conduct  their  affairs  with  prudence,  safety, 
and  propriety ;  therefore, 

1.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  People  of  the  State  of  New-York,  represented  in  Senate 
and  Assembly,  That  John  I.  Labagh,  Jacob  Lorillard,  Peter  Sharpe,  John  Slidell,  James 
Hopson,  Philip  Arnold,  and  their  present  associates,  and  all  persons  being  mechanics  or 
tradesmen,  and  resident  within  the  city  and  county  of  New- York,  who  hereafter  shall  be 
members  of  the  said  Society,  shall  be,  and  hereby  are  ordained,  constituted  and  declared 
to  be  one  body,  corporate  and  politic,  in  fact  and  in  name,  by  the  name  of  "  The  General 
Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New-York,"  until  the  first  Monday  in 
April,  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  thirty-three ;  and  that  by  that  name  they  and  their 
successors,  for  the  term  aforesaid,  shall  and  may  have  succession,  and  shall  be  persons  in 
law  capable  of  suing  and  being  sued,  pleading  and  being  impleaded,  answering  and  being 
answered  unto,  defending  and  being  defended,  in  all  courts  and  places  whatsoever,  in  all 
manner  of  action  and  actions,  suits,  complaints,  matters,  and  causes  whatsoever ;  and  that 
they  and  their  successors  may  have  a  common  seal,  and  may  change  and  alter  the  same  at 
their  pleasure;  and,  also,  that  they  and  their  successors,  by  the  name  of  "The  General 
Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New- York,"  shall  be  in  law  capable 
of  purchasing,  holding,  and  conveying  any  estate,  real  or  personal,  for  the  public  use  of 
the  said  corporation  :  Provided,  that  the  lands,  tenements,  and  hereditaments,  which  it 
shall  be  lawful  for  the  said  corporation  to  hold,  shall  be  only  such  as  shall  be  requisite  for 
the  purpose  of  erecting  a  house  or  hall  thereon  in  which  to  meet  and  transact  the  business 
of  the  said  corporation,  or  such  as  shall  have  been  bona  JiJe  mortgaged  to  it  by  way  of 
security,  or  conveyed  to  it  in  satisfaction  of  debts  previously  contracted  in  the  course  of  its 
business,  or  purchased  at  sales  on  judgments  which  shall  have  been  obtained  for  such 
debts :  And  provided,  also,  that  the  amount  of  the  real  and  personal  estate  which  the  said 
corporation  are  hereby  enabled  to  hold  shall  not  at  any  one  time  exceed  the  sum  of  two 
hundred  thousand  dollars. 

2.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  the  officers  of  the  said  corporation  shall  be  a  Presi- 
dent, Vice-President,  and  a  Second  Vice-President,  a  Treasurer,  Secretary,  and  Collector, 
who  shall  hold  their  offices  for  one  year,  and  shall  be  citizens  of  this  State,  and  be  elected 
the  second  Tuesday  in  January  in  every  year,  at  such  time  of  the  day  and  at  such  place 
in  the  City  of  New-York  as  shall  be  fixed  and  ascertained  by  the  By-Laws  of  the  said 
corporation  ;  that  all  elections  of  the  said  officers,  or  any  of  them,  shall  be  by  ballot ;  and 
such  person  who  shall  have  at  any  election  the  greatest  number  of  votes  given  at  such 
election  as  President  shall  be  President ;  and  in  like  manner  the  person  who  shall  have  the 
greatest  number  of  votes  as  Vice-President  shall  be  Vice-President ;  and  in  like  manner 
the  person  who  shall  have  the  greatest  number  of  votes  for  Second  Vice-President  shall  be 
Second  Vice-President ;  and  in  like  manner  the  person  who  shall  have  the  greatest  number 
of  votes  as  Treasurer  shall  be  Treasurer ;  and  in  like  manner  the  person  who  shall  have 
the  greatest  number  of  votes  as  Secretary  shall  be  Secretary ;  and  in  like  manner  the  per- 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN, 


383 


son  who  shall  have  the  greatest  number  of  votes  as  Collector  shall  be  Collector.  And  the 
said  officers  shall  hold  their  respective  offices  for  one  year,  and  until  others  shall  be 
chosen  in  their  places :  that  if  any  vacancies  shall  happen  among  the  said  officers  by 
death,  resignation,  or  removal,  such  vacancies  shall  be  filled,  for  the  remainder  of  the  year 
in  which  they  may  happen,  by  a  special  election  for  that  purpose,  to  be  held  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  annual  elections  are  made,  at  such  times  and  places  as  shall  be  provided  for 
and  determined  by  the  By-Laws  of  the  said  corporation.  That  John  I.  Labagh  shall  be 
the  President  of  the  said  corporation,  Jacob  Lorillard  Vice-President,  and  Peter  Sharpe 
Second  Vice-President,  John  Slidell  Treasurer,  James  Hopson  the  Secretary,  and  Philip 
Arnold  the  Collector  thereof,  who  shall  hold  their  offices  respectively  until  the  second 
Tuesday  in  January  next,  and  until  others  shall  be  chosen  in  their  places. 

3.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  in  case  it  should  at  any  time  happen  that  an 
election  of  officers  should  not  be  made  on  any  day  when,  pursuant  to  this  act,  it  ought  to 
have  been  made,  the  said  corporation  shall  not,  for  that  cause,  be  deemed  to  be  dissolved ; 
but  it  shall  and  may  be  lawful  on  any  other  day  to  hold  and  make  an  election  of  officers, 
in  such  manner  as  shall  have  been  regulated  by  the  laws  and  ordinances  of  the  said  cor- 
porations. 

4.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  all  elections  and  all  meetings  of  the  said  corpora- 
tion shall  be  made  and  held  in  a  place  certain,  to  be  fixed  and  determined  by  the  By-Laws 
of  said  corporation;  and  that  all  such  elections  and  meetings  of  the  said  corporation,  so 
to  be  held  as  aforesaid,  twenty-five  members  thereof,  including  the  President  (or,  in  his 
absence,  the  Vice-President,  or,  in  his  absence,  the  Second  Vice-President;  and,  in  case 
of  the  absence  of  the  officers  aforesaid,  a  chairman  shall  be  chosen  to  preside  at  such 
meetings),  shall  be  considered  a  quorum  of  the  said  corporation,  and  shall  have  full  power 
to  do  and  transact  all  the  business  thereof. 

5.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  the  said  corporation,  and  their  successors,  shall 
have  full  power  to  make  and  prescribe  such*  by-laws,  rules,  ordinances,  and  regulations  as 
to  them,  from  time  to  time,  shall  appear  needful  and  proper,  touching  the  management  and 
disposition  of  their  stock,  property,  estate,  and  effects,  for  the  purposes  aforesaid;  and 
touching  the  meetings  of  the  said  Society,  both  special  and  ordinar, ,  except  the  second 
Tuesday  in  January  in  every  year,  which  is  hereby  declared  to  be  the  annual  meeting  of 
the  Society,  and  touching  the  duties  and  conduct  of  the  officers  of  the  said  corporation, 
and  touching  the  election  of  officers,  and  all  such  other  matters  as  appertain  to  the  busi- 
ness, ends,  or  purposes  for  which  said  corporation  is  by  this  act  instituted,  and  for  no  other 
purposes  whatsoever :  Provided,  that  such  by-laws,  rules,  and  regulations  be  not  repugnant 
to  the  Constitution  or  the  laws  of  the  United  States,  or  of  this  State. 

6.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  all  persons,  citizens  of  the  United  States,  being 
mechanics  and  tradesmen,  and  resident  within  the  City  and  County  of  New-York,  desiring 
to  become  members  of  the  said  corporation,  shall  be  proposed  by  at  least  two  members 
one  meeting  previous  to  his  or  their  election,  which  shall  be  by  ballot,  and  determined  by 
two-thirds  of  the  members  present  at  such  election ;  that  then  he  or  they  so  elected,  on 
paying  into  the  hands  of  the  Treasurer  such  sum  as  the  corporation  by  their  By-Laws 
shall  direct,  provided  the  same  shall  not  exceed  the  sum  of  ten  dollars,  shall  have  his  or 


384 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


their  names  inserted  in  the  General  Register,  and  shall  be  entitled  to  all  the  privileges  and 
benefits  arising  therefrom. 

7.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  the  said  Society  shall  have  full  power  and  authority 
to  expel  disorderly  members ;  that  is  to  say,  if  any  member  shall  be  convicted  of  any  noto- 
rious, scandalous,  wicked  practice,  such  members  shall  be  expelled  the  Society ;  and  any 
member  refusing  or  neglecting,  for  eighteen  months,  to  pay  his  monthly  dues,  shall,  on 
conviction  thereof,  be  expelled  the  Society ;  and  all  members  thus  expelled  shall  forfeit  all 
right  and  title  to  the  benefits  arising  from  the  Society :  Provided,  nevertheless,  that  three- 
fourths  of  the  members  present  shall  be  required  to  vote  for  the  expulsion  of  a  member ; 
and  provided  always,  that  whenever  a  charge  is  brought  against  a  member  he  shall  be 
thereof  notified  in  writing  and  requested  to  appear  to  answer  to  the  complaint  exhibited 
against  him,  at  the  then  next  monthly  meeting  of  the  Society;  and  any  member  who  shall 
be  convicted  as  aforesaid,  refusing  or  neglecting  to  attend  when  duly  notified,  shall  be 
expelled  the  Society. 

8.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  in  case  the  aforesaid  Society  shall  at  any  time 
appropriate  or  apply  its  moneys  or  funds,  or  any  part  thereof,  except  so  much  thereof  as 
may  be  necessary  for  the  repairs  of  any  buildings  which  may  belong  to  the  said  corpora- 
tion, or  for  the  payment  of  the  Treasurer  or  Secretary  thereof,  or  for  other  charges 
expressly  incidental  to  the  management  of  the  funds  thereof,  or  for  the  payment  of  the 
debts  of  the  said  corporation,  to  any  use  other  than  the  support  of  indigent  members  of 
the  said  corporation,  or  the  widows  or  children  of  any  person  having  been  a  member 
thereof,  and  shall  be  thereof  convicted  by  due  course  of  law,  that  thenceforth  the  said  cor- 
poration shall  cease,  and  the  real  and  personal  estate  whereof  it  may  then  be  seized  and 
possessed,  shall  then  vest  in  the  people  of  this  State. 

9.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  this  act  be  and  is  hereby  declared  to  be  a  public 
act,  and  that  the  same  shall  be  construed,  in  all  courts  and  places,  benignly  and  favorably 
for  every  beneficial  purpose  therein  contained. 

10.  And  be  it  further  enacted,  That  the  act,  entitled  "An  act  to  incorporate  the 
Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New-York,  for  charitable  purposes," 
passed  14th  March,  1792,  be,  and  the  same  is  hereby  repealed. 


AN  ACT 

To  renew  and  amend  an  Act,  entitled  "An  Act  relative  to  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and 
Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New-York."    Passed  April  1st,  1856. 

The  People  of  the  State  of  New-York,  represented  in  Senate  and  Assembly,  do  enact 
as  follows : 

§  1.  The  act  entitled  "An  Act  relative  to  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and 
Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New-York,"  passed  April  third,  eighteen  hundred  and  eleven,  as 
amended  by  the  several  acts  relating  to  said  Society,  subsequently  enacted,  is  hereby 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


385 


renewed  and  extended  to  the  first  Monday  in  April,  in  the  year  one  thousand  eight  hun- 
dred and  ninety. 

§  2.  The  first  section  of  the  act  incorporating  the  said  Society,  passed  April  third, 
a.  d.  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  eleven,  is  hereby  amended,  and  the  said  corpora- 
tion are  hereby  authorized  and  enabled  to  hold  an  amount  of  real  and  personal  estate, 
which  shall  not  at  any  one  time  exceed  the  sum  of  five  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

§  3.  The  third  section  of  the  act  passed  February  eighteenth,  one  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  thirty-three,  entitled  "An  Act  to  renew  and  amend  an  act  entitled  'An  Act 
relative  to  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New- York,'" 
passed  April  third,  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  eleven,  is  hereby  amended,  so  as  to 
read  as  follows,  viz. : 

The  initiation  fee  for  the  admission  of  a  member  of  said  Society  shall  be  such  sum  as 
the  said  corporation  shall  direct,  provided  it  be  not  more  than  fifty  dollars ;  and  the  said 
Society  may  set  apart  and  appropriate,  in  their  discretion,  any  portion  of  their  funds, 
together  with  such  donations  or  bequests  as  may  from  time  to  time  be  made  for  that  pur- 
pose, toward  the  promotion  and  diffusion  of  literary  and  scientific  knowledge. 

§  4.  This  act  shall  take  effect  immediately  after  its  passage,  and  the  Legislature  may, 
at  any  time  thereafter,  alter,  modify,  or  repeal  the  same. 


AN  ACT 

To  Confirm  the  Title  of  Certain  Real  Estate  Belonging  to  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and 
Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New- York.    Passed  April  12th,  i860. 

The  People  of  the  State  of  New-York,  represented  in  Senate  and  Assembly,  do  enact 
as  follows : 

p 

1.  The  title  of  the  lands,  tenements,  and  hereditaments,  lawfully  owned  and  held  by 
the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New-York,  according  to 
the  provisions  of  the  act  of  its  incorporation,  passed  March  fourteenth,  seventeen  hundred 
and  ninety-two,  now  owned  and  held  by  the  corporation  bearing  the  same  name  and  title, 
created  by  the  act  passed  April  third,  eighteen  hundred  and  eleven,  and  renewed  and 
amended  by  the  several  acts  subsequently  enacted,  is  hereby  vested  and  confirmed  in  the 
said  "  The  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New-York,"  their 
successors  and  assigns. 

2.  Nothing  whatsoever  in  this  act  contained  shall  be  constructed  to  impair,  alter,  or 
modify  the  right,  title,  interest,  or  lien  of  any  person  or  persons  of,  in,  or  to  the  said  lands, 
tenements,  or  hereditaments  lawfully  created  or  acquired  prior  to  the  enactment  of 
this  act. 

3.  This  act  shall  take  effect  immediately. 


386  GENERAL      SOCIETY  OF 

AN  ACT 

To  amend  Chapter  one  hundred  and  thirteen  of  the  Laws  of  eighteen  hundred  and  eleven,  entitled 
"An  Act  relative  to  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New- York." 
Passed  April  30th,  1881. 

The  Pecple  of  the  State  of  New- York,  represented  in  Senate  and  Assembly,  do  enact 
as  follows : 

§  1.  Section  two  of  Chapter  one  hundred  and  thirteen  of  the  Laws  of  eighteen  hun- 
dred and  eleven,  entitled  "An  Act  relative  to  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Trades- 
men of  the  City  of  New-York,"  is  hereby  amended  to  read  as  follows : 

§  2.  The  officers  of  the  said  corporation  shall  be  a  President,  Vice-President,  and  a 
Second  Vice-President,  a  Treasurer,  Secretary,  and  Collector,  who  shall  hold  their  offices 
for  one  year  from  the  first  day  of  January  first  ensuing  after  their  election,  and  shall  be  elected 
on  the  first  Wednesday  in  December  in  every  year,  at  such  time  of  the  day  and  at  such 
place  in  the  City  of  New- York  as  shall  be  fixed  by  the  By-Laws  of  the  said  corporation ; 
that  all  elections  of  the  said  officers,  or  any  of  them,  shall  be  by  ballot,  and  such  person 
who  shall  have  at  any  election  the  greatest  number  of  votes  given  at  such  election  for 
President  shall  be  President ;  and  in  like  manner  the  person  who  shall  have  the  greatest 
number  of  votes  for  Vice-President  shall  be  Vice-President;  and  in  like  manner  the  per- 
son who  shall  have  the  greatest  number  of  votes  for  Second  Vice-President  shall  be  Second 
Vice-President ;  and  in  a  like  manner  the  person  who  shall  have  the  greatest  number  of 
votes  for  Treasurer  shall  be  Treasurer ;  and  in  like  manner  the  person  who  shall  have  the 
greatest  number  of  votes  for  Secretary  shall  be  Secretary ;  and  in  like  manner  the  person 
who  shall  have  the  greatest  number  of  votes  for  Collector  shall  be  Collector ;  and  the  said 
officers  shall  hold  their  respective  offices  for  one  year,  and  until  others  shall  be  chosen  in 
their  places;  that  if  any  vacancies  shall  happen  among  the  said  officers  by  death,  resigna- 
tion, or  removal,  such  vacancies  shall  be  filled  for  the  remainder  of  the  year  in  which  they 
may  happen  by  a  special  election  for  that  purpose,  to  be  called  and  held  in  the  same  man- 
ner as  the  annual  elections.  The  first  annual  election  after  the  passage  of  this  act  shall  be 
held  on  the  first  Wednesday  in  December,  eighteen  hundred  and  eighty-one. 

§  3.  All  acts  or  parts  of  acts  inconsistent  with  the  provisions  of  this  act  are  hereby 
repealed. 

§  4.  This  act  shall  take  effect  immediately. 

State  of  New-York,  ) 
Office  of  Secretary  of  State,  }  ss' 

I  have  compared  the  preceding  with  the  original  law  on  file  in  this  office,  and  do 
hereby  certify  that  the  same  is  a  correct  transcript  therefrom,  and  of  the  whole  of  said 
original  law. 

Given  under  my  hand  and  the  seal  of  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State,  at  the  City  of 
Albany,  this  third  day  of  May,  in  the  year  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  eighty-one. 

Anson  S.  Wood, 
Deputy  Secretary  of  State. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


387 


BY-LAWS. 
Adopted  October  5th,  1881. 
Article  I. 

§  1.  All  meetings  of  this  Society  shajl  be  held  at  Mechanics'  Hall.  The  annual 
meeting  shall  be  held  on  the  second  Tuesday  in  January,  at  8  o'clock  p.  m.,  and  regular 
meetings  shall  be  held  on  the  first  Wednesday  in  each  month  (except  the  months  of 
January,  July,  and  August)  at  8  o'clock  p.  m. 

§  2.  Twenty-five  members  shall  constitute  a  quorum  for  the  transaction  of  business. 

§  3.  Whenever  seven  members  shall  deem  it  expedient  to  have  a  special  meeting,  they 
shall  signify  the  same  in  writing  to  the  President,  specifying  the  purpose  thereof,  who  shall 
thereupon  direct  the  Secretary  to  call  such  special  meeting,  and  to  notify  the  members  of 
the  time  and  objects  thereof.  No  business  shall  be  considered  or  transacted  at  sucli  meet- 
ing, or  at  any  other  special  meeting,  except  such  as  may  have  been  specified  in  the  call 
for  such  meeting. 

§  4.  When  the  first  Wednesday  in  any  month  occurs  on  a  legal  holiday,  the  meeting 
shall  take  place  on  the  Wednesday  following. 

Article  II. —  Elections. 

§  1.  At  the  regular  meeting  in  November,  or  as  soon  thereafter  as  may  be,  three 
members  shall  be  appointed  by  the  presiding  officer  as  inspectors  of  election,  to  receive, 
canvass,  and  estimate  the  votes  given  for  President,  Vice-President,  Second  Vice-President, 
Treasurer,  Secretary,  and  Collector,  at  the  next  annual  election. 

§  2.  The  poll  for  election  shall  be  opened  at  4  o'clock  p.  m.,  on  the  day  of  the  regular 
meeting  in  December,  and  closed  at  7  o'clock  p.  m.,  and  the  inspectors  shall  give  notice  of 
its  closing  at  least  fifteen  minutes  preceding.  Immediately  on  closing  the  poll  they  shall 
proceed  to  canvass  the  votes,  and,  on  completing  the  same,  shall  certify  over  their  signa- 
tures the  result  of  such  canvass,  which  certificate,  provided  a  quorum  of  members  be 
present,  shall  be  reported  to  the  Society  at  its  meeting  held  that  evening,  and  upon  its 
appearing  by  such  certificate  that  the  balloting  has  resulted  in  a  lawful  choice  of  officers  of 
the  Society  for  the  ensuing  year,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  presiding  officer  to  qualify  the 
several  officers  elect,  in  the  following  order  and  manner,  to  wit : 

1.  The  President. 

2.  The  Vice-President  and  Second  Vice-President. 

3.  The  Treasurer  and  Secretary. 

4.  All  other  officers  elect  who  may  be  present. 

The  presiding  officer  shall  be  assisted  by  two  ex-presidents,  or  other  members  of  the 
Society,  whom  he  shall  appoint  for  such  purpose,  and  the  ceremonies  shall  consist  of — 

1.  Presentation  of  the  officer  or  officers  elect  to  the  presiding  officer,  who  will  instruct 
him  or  them  in  their  several  duties. 

2.  Acceptance  of  the  official  position,  with  its  duties  and  responsibilities,  by  the  officer 
elect. 

3.  The  presiding  officer  shall  then  declare  that  the  officers  thus  qualified  shall  assume 
their  several  positions,  and  commence  the  discharge  of  their  official  duties  on  the  first  day 
of  January,  next  ensuing. 


388 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


4.  During  the  ceremonies  the  brothers  will  stand,  and  no  brother  will  enter  or  leave 
the  Hall. 

§  3.  In  the  event  of  no  quorum  being  present  at  the  December  meeting,  the  certifi- 
cates of  the  inspectors  shall  be  deposited  with  the  Secretary,  who  shall  immediately  notify 
the  officers  elect,  and  request  their  written  assent,  which,  with  the  certificate,  shall  be 
registered  on  the  minutes,  and  the  said  officers  who  assent  to  their  election  shall  assume 
and  enter  upon  the  discharge  of  their  several  duties  on  the  first  day  of  January,  next  ensu- 
ing, the  same  as  if  they  had  been  formally  qualified,  with  the  exception  of  the  Treasurer, 
who  shall  not  enter  upon  the  discharge  of  his  duties  until  his  bond  has  been  accepted  by 
the  Society. 

§  4.  Special  elections  for  filling  vacancies  shall  be  held  in  the  same  manner  as  are  the 
annual  elections,  and  on  the  day  of  a  regular  meeting  of  the  Society  not  more  than  two 
regular  meetings  after  such  vacancies  shall  have  occurred,  and  the  Secretary  shall  notify 
the  members  thereof  at  least  one  week  previous  to  the  time  of  such  election. 

Article  III. — The  President  and  Vice-Presidents. 

§  1.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  President  to  preside  at  all  meetings  of  the  Society;  to 
preserve  order  and  decide  all  questions,  subject,  however,  to  an  appeal  to  the  Society.  He 
shall  not  vote  on  any  question  unless  the  Society  be  equally  divided. 

§  2.  In  the  absence  of  the  President,  the  Vice-President  shall  preside  and  perform  the 
duties  of  the  President ;  and,  in  the  absence  of  both  the  President  and  the  Vice-President, 
the  Second  Vice-President  shall  in  like  manner  preside  and  perform  the  said  duties ;  and 
in  the  event  of  all  the  said  officers  being  absent,  the  Society  shall  appoint  a  President  pro 
tempore,  who  shall  perform  all  the  duties  incident  to  the  office. 

§  3.  The  President  of  the  Society  shall  be  ex  officio  a  member  of  the  School  Com- 
mittee and  of  the  Committee  for  Promoting  and  Disseminating  Literary  and  Scientific 
Knowledge ;  the  Vice-President  ex  officio  a  member  of  the  Library  Committee ;  and  the 
Second  Vice-President  ex  officio  a  member  of  the  Finance  Committee. 

§  4.  The  President  is  authorized  and  empowered  to  vote  in  the  name  of  the  Society 
on  any  corporate  stock  owned  or  held  by  it  at  all  elections  for  trustees  or  directors  of  any 
such  coq)oration. 

Article  IV. — The  Treasurer. 

§  1.  Before  the  Treasurer  enters  upon  the  duties  of  his  office,  he  shall  annually  give  a 
bond  to  the  Society,  with  two  approved  sureties,  in  a  sum  not  less  than  twenty  thousand 
dollars,  for  the  faithful  performance  of  the  trust  reposed  in  him,  which  bond  shall  be 
deposited  with  the  Finance  Committee. 

§  2.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Treasurer  to  receive  and  safely  keep,  in  such  manner 
as  shall  be  directed  by  the  Society,  all  deeds,  mortgages,  or  any  titles  to  property  belong- 
ing to  the  Society ;  also  certificates  of  stock,  bonds,  and  all  other  evidences  of  debt,  as 
may  be  received  for  the  benefit  of  the  Society ;  to  collect  the  rents,  the  interest  of  any 
money  secured  by  bond  and  mortgage,  the  dividends  on  the  stock  held  by  the  Society,  the 


ME  CHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


389 


initiation  fees,  and  generally  all  moneys  due  the  Society,  the  collection  of  which  is  not 
otherwise  provided  for. 

§  3.  All  moneys  received  by  the  Treasurer  for  or  on  account  of  the  Society  shall  be 
deposited  by  him  in  the  name  of  the  Society,  with  his  signature  and  that  of  the  President, 
in  such  bank  or  trust  company  as  may  be  designated  for  that  purpose  by  the  Finance 
Committee,  with  the  approval  in  writing  of  the  President  of  the  Society  ;  provided,  always, 
that  the  Society  may  at  any  time  instruct  said  committee  and  President,  or  otherwise  direct 
them  relative  thereto. 

§  4.  The  Treasurer  shall  pay  quarterly  the  salaries  of  the  Secretary,  Treasurer,  and 
Door-keeper,  also  all  bills  that  may  be  ordered  paid  by  the  Society,  and  all  specific  orders 
drawn  on  him  in  pursuance  of  any  resolution  of  the  Society,  and  likewise  pay  out  of 
their  respective  annual  appropriations  all  drafts  issued  and  all  bills  incurred  for  legitimate 
expenditures  by  the  several  Standing  Committees,  upon  being  presented  to  him,  duly  cer- 
tified by  the  Chairman  and  Secretary  of  the  Committee.  But  no  money  of  the  Society 
shall  be  drawn  from  any  bank  or  trust  company  in  which  the  same  may  be  deposited, 
except  on  a  check  signed  by  him  as  Treasurer,  and  countersigned  by  the  President  of  the 
Society,  said  check  being  made  payable  to  the  order  of  the  person  or  persons  to  whom  it  is 
to  be  paid,  except  the  pensioners  and  employes  of  the  Society,  who,  as  well  as  all  bills  not 
exceeding  ten  dollars  each,  may  be  paid  in  money,  the  same  to  be  drawn  by  check  to  the 
order  of  the  Treasurer,  and  countersigned  by  the  President  of  the  Society. 

§  5.  He  shall  keep,  in  suitable  books,  separate  accounts  with  every  piece  of  property, 
and  with  all  stock  and  other  securities  owned  by  the  Society,  with  every  committee  or 
fund,  and  with  every  individual  or  firm  that  may  be  at  any  time  indebted  to  the  Society. 
Said  accounts  shall  be  written  up  and  posted  on  or  before  every  quarterly  meeting  of  the 
Society.  Said  books  shall  be  kept  in  the  safe  of  the  Society,  at  Mechanics'  Hall,  and  shall 
at  all  suitable  times  be  accessible  to  any  officer  of  the  Society,  and  to  the  Chairman  of 
each  of  the  Standing  Committees.  He  shall  also  be  ex  officio  a  member  of  the  Finance 
Committee,  and  also  ex  officio  a  member  and  the  Treasurer  of  the  Building  and  Sinking 
Fund  Committee. 

§  6.  He  shall  report  at  the  annual  meeting  in  January,  and  q  arterly  thereafter  at 
regular  meetings,  the  amounts  paid  on  account  of  the  several  Standing  Committees,  the 
state  of  the  finances  and  funds,  and  subjoin  his  own  account  thereto,  for  the  inspection  of 
the  members.  He  shall  also  report  at  the  annual  meeting  in  January  a  full  account  of  all 
moneys  received  and  disbursed  by  him,  from  all  sources  and  for  what  purposes,  from 
the  first  day  of  January  to  the  thirty-first  day  of  December,  inclusive,  of  the  year  preced- 
ing, with  a  statement  of  the  financial  condition  of  the  Society ;  and  for  his  services  he 
shall  be  allowed  a  compensation  of  seven  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  per  annum,  payable 
quarterly. 

§  7.  He  shall  surrender  to  his  successor  at  the  annual  meeting  in  January,  or  as  soon 
thereafter  as  he  shall  be  qualified  to  act  as  Treasurer,  all  moneys,  bonds,  mortgages,  and 
other  properties  in  his  possession  belonging  to  the  Society. 

In  the  absence  of  the  Treasurer,  the  presiding  officer  shall  appoint  a  Treasurer  pro 
tempore. 


39° 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


Article  V. —  The  Secretary. 

§  i.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Secretary  to  attend  every  meeting  of  the  Society,  and 
in  his  absence  or  inability  to  act,  the  presiding  officer  shall  appoint  one  of  the  members  as 
Secretary  pro  tempore. 

He  shall  keep  minutes  of  all  proceedings,  and  correctly  record  the  same  in  a  book 
provided  for  the  purpose. 

He  shall  also  record  copies  of  all  reports  made  to  the  Society,  in  a  book  provided 
for  that  purpose ;  and  shall  file  and  number  all  original  papers,  resolutions,  and  other 
documents. 

He  shall  also  keep  a  book  wherein  each  member's  name  and  occupation  shall  be 
inserted,  in  such  order  and  manner  that  it  will  appear  when  admitted,  expelled,  died,  or 
withdrawn,  which  book  shall  be  the  General  Register  of  the  Society. 

He  shall  notify,  without  delay,  each  person  elected  a  member  of  the  Society,  of  such 
election  ;  and  on  the  election  of  any  member  to  an  office  shall  give  him  due  notice  thereof. 

When  any  committee  has  been  appointed,  he  shall  furnish  to  the  member  first  named 
thereon  a  written  list  of  the  names  of  the  several  members  appointed  to  constitute  the 
same,  and  a  copy  of  the  resolution  or  subject  referred  to  them. 

When  a  motion  is  made  and  seconded,  he  shall  record  the  name  of  the  member  by 
whom  it  is  made. 

He  shall  cause  due  notice  to  be  given  to  the  members  of  all  the  meetings  of  the 
Society. 

He  shall  be  allowed  for  his  services  five  hundred  dollars  per  annum,  payable  quar- 
terly. 

§  2.  The  seal  of  the  Society  shall  be  kept  by  the  Secretary,  and  used  for  the  purpose 
of  sealing  all  certificates  of  admission,  and  such  other  papers  as  the  Society  may  direct, 
by  resolution,  to  be  executed  under  their  seal. 

§  3.  The  plates  for  the  certificates  of  membership  shall  be  kept  by  the  Secretary,  and 
eacli  member  shall  be  entitled  to  a  certificate,  dated  from  the  time  of  his  initiation. 

§  4.  All  books,  reports,  documents,  papers,  etc.,  appertaining  to  the  office  and  duty  of 
Secretary,  shall  be  kept  by  him  in  the  safe  of  the  Society,  and  shall  not  be  taken  from  his 
possession ;  but  any  member  may,  at  all  suitable  times,  have  liberty  to  examine  and  make 
extracts  from  them  at  the  place  where  they  are  kept. 

Article  VI. — The  Door-keeper. 

A  Door-keeper  shall  be  appointed  by  the  President,  who  shall  attend  all  the  meetings 
of  the  Society,  and  during  the  sessions  shall  permit  no  person,  except  a  member,  to  enter 
the  meeting-room  without  the  consent  of  the  presiding  officer,  and  he  shall  receive  for  his 
services  three  dollars  for  each  meeting  of  the  Society  which  he  attends. 

Article  VII. — Standing  Committees. 

§  1 .  The  Standing  Committees  of  the  Society  shall  be  a  Finance  Committee,  a  Com- 
mittee on  Pensions,  a  School  Committee,  a  Library  Committee,  a  Committee  for  Promot- 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN, 


39 1 


ing  and  Disseminating  Literary  and  Scientific  Knowledge,  a  Building  and  Sinking  Fund 
Committee,  and  an  Auditing  Committee. 

§  2.  No  member  shall  serve  on  more  than  one  of  the  Standing  Committees  at  the 
same  time,  except  as  provided  in  these  By-Laws. 

§  3.  The  President  (or,  in  his  absence,  the  officer  presiding)  shall,  at  the  annual  meet- 
ing of  the  Society,  or  as  soon  thereafter  as  possible,  nominate,  and,  with  the  consent  of  the 
Society,  appoint  five  members  to  constitute  the  Finance  Committee ;  eight  to  constitute 
the  Committee  on  Pensions  ;  twelve  to  constitute  the  School  Committee ;  twelve  to  con- 
stitute the  Library  Committee;  twelve  to  constitute  the  Committee  for  Promoting  and  Dis- 
seminating Literary  and  Scientific  Knowledge;  four  to  constitute  the  Building  and  Sinking 
Fund  Committee;  and  three  to  constitute  the  Auditing  Committee,  all  of  whom  shall 
serve  one  year,  and  until  others  are  appointed  in  their  places. 

§  4.  At  the  annual  meeting  in  January  of  each  year,  or  if  from  any  cause  such  meet- 
ing should  not  be  held,  then  at  the  next  meeting  thereafter,  appropriations  for  the  current 
year  shall  be  made  of  such  sums  as  may  then  be  deemed  sufficient  for  the  payment  of  their 
legitimate  and  authorized  expenditures,  and  within  the  means  of  the  Treasury,  for  the 
Finance  Committee,  the  Committee  on  Pensions,  the  School  Committee,  the  Library  Com- 
mittee, the  Committee  for  Promoting  and  Disseminating  Literary  and  Scientific  Knowl- 
edge, and  the  Building  and  Sinking  Fund  Committee,  which  amounts  so  appropriated  shall 
be  set  apart  and,  so  much  thereof  as  may  be  necessary,  used  by  the  Treasurer  for  the  pay- 
ment of  the  bills  received  by  him  for  the  respective  several  Standing  Committees  entitled 
to  such  appropriations. 

§  5.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Finance  Committee,  the  Committee  on  Pensions,  the 
School  Committee,  the  Library  Committee,  the  Committee  for  Promoting  and  Dissemi- 
nating Literary  and  Scientific  Knowledge,  and  the  Building  and  Sinking  Fund  Committee, 
and  they  are  hereby  required,  to  report  to  the  Society  at  the  annual  meeting  in  January, 
and  quarterly  thereafter,  an  account  of  their  receipts  and  expenditures  during  the  preced- 
ing quarter. 

Said  committees  shall  also  severally  make,  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Society  in  Janu- 
ary, a  full  report  of  their  receipts  and  expenditures  and  of  their  transactions  during  the 
year  ending  on  the  thirty-first  day  of  December  preceding,  stating  therein  the  actual  con- 
dition of  their  respective  departments,  and  all  such  matters  as  may  be  necessary  to  enable 
the  Society  to  form  an  accurate  judgment  of  the  results  of  their  operations.  Said  annual 
reports,  or  a  copy  thereof,  together  with  a  copy  of  the  annual  report  of  the  Treasurer, 
shall  be  referred  to  the  Finance  Committee,  which  committee  shall  prepare  and  report  to 
the  Society,  at  the  regular  meeting  next  ensuing,  a  statement  of  the  financial  condition  of 
the  Society,  with  estimates  of  the  probable  receipts  into  and  demands  upon  the  Treasury 
during  the  ensuing  year;  and  shall  embody  in  said  statement  such  of  the  matters  from  the 
annual  reports  of  the  several  committees  as  they  may  deem  suitable  for  publication.  Said" 
statement  shall  be  printed  for  the  use  of  the  members. 

§  6.  All  moneys  received  by  any  officer,  committee,  or  member,  for  or  on  account  of 
the  Society,  shall  be  forthwith  paid  to  the  Treasurer  of  the  Society. 


392 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


Article  VIII. — The  Finance  Committee. 

§  i.  The  Finance  Committee  shall  take  charge  of  all  buildings  and  lands  belonging 
to  the  Society,  and  shall  appropriate,  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  Society,  so  much  of 
Mechanics'  Hall  to  each  of  the  several  Standing  Committees  as  may  be  necessary  for  the 
proper  discharge  of  their  respective  duties  and  trusts.  They  shall  cause  the  property  of 
the  Society  to  be  properly  insured,  and  direct  and  superintend  all  ordinary  repairs  and 
inexpensive  necessary  alterations  thereto,  and  shall  report  such  extraordinary  repairs  and 
improvements  as  they  may  deem  expedient  to  be  made,  with  estimates  of  the  expense 
thereof,  and,  when  approved  by  the  Society,  they  shall  direct  and  superintend  the  same. 

They  shall  procure  all  necessary  supplies  for  the  general  use  of  the  Society,  and  for 
the  heating,  lighting,  and  cleaning  of  Mechanics'  Hall,  and  shall  audit  all  bills  incurred  for 
their  legitimate  and  necessary  expenses,  transmitting  the  same,  duly  certified  by  the  Chair- 
man and  Secretary,  to  the  Treasurer  of  the  Society  for  payment. 

§  2.  They  shall  have  power  to  invest  from  the  current  funds  of  the  Society  such 
amounts  as  they  may  elect  in  United  States,  New-York  State,  and  City  bonds,  and  shall, 
at  the  next  regular  meeting  of  the  Society,  make  full  report  of  such  investments. 

§  3.  They  shall  submit  at  the  annual  meeting  in  January  a  statement  of  the  probable 
receipts  and  expenditures  of  the  Society  for  the  ensuing  year. 

Article  IX. — The  Committee  on  Pensions. 

§  1.  All  applications  made  to  this  Society  for  relief,  either  personally  or  by  petition, 
shall  be  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Pensions. 

It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  said  committee  to  inquire  into  the  circumstances  of  every 
member,  or  of  the  widow,  orphan,  or  orphans  of  any  deceased  member  who  may  apply  for 
assistance. 

§  2.  Whenever  it  shall  appear  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  committee  that  the  situation 
or  circumstances  of  any  member  who  has  applied  for  relief  is  such  that  he  will  require 
assistance  for  more  than  one  year,  or  during  his  natural  life,  it  shall  be  their  duty  to  report 
to  the  Society,  for  its  concurrence,  a  specific  sum,  which,  in  their  opinion,  ought  to  be 
granted  as  a  yearly  pension  to  such  member;  which  pension,  if  concurred  in  by  the 
Society,  shall  be  paid  by  them  in  the  same  manner  and  at  the  same  periods  that  other 
pensions  are  paid. 

They  shall  register  in  a  book,  to  be  kept  for  that  purpose,  the  names  of  the  pen- 
sioners, and  the  names  and  ages  of  their  children,  and  shall  pay  at  stated  periods  their 
pensions  as  herein  provided,  except,  when  on  investigation  it  shall  appear  to  be  actually 
necessary  for  the  welfare  of  the  pensioner  or  his  family,  the  amount  of  the  same  may  be 
paid  in  such  installments  and  manner  as  the  committee  may  deem  most  judicious. 

§  3.  The  widow,  orphan,  or  orphans  of  any  member,  being  in  indigent  circumstances, 
shall  be  entitled  to  receive  assistance  agreeably  to  the  following  regulations : 

1.  All  widows  on  the  pension  list  shall  be  allowed  fifty-two  dollars  per  annum,  so 
long  as,  in  the  judgment  of  the  committee,  or  of  the  Society,  their  circumstances  are  such 
as  to  require  the  aid  of  the  Society. 


> 


MECHANICS     AND     TRADESMEN,  393 

2.  All  widows,  being  pensioners,  and  having  children  under  the  age  of  fifteen  years, 
shall  be  allowed  the  sum  of  twenty  dollars  per  annum  foe  each  child,  which  allowance  may 
be  continued,  if  deemed  necessary  by  the  committee,  although  the  widow  may  have  again 
married. 

3.  When  a  child,  whose  mother  is  on  the  pension  list,  shall  arrive  at  the  age  of 
fifteen  years,  the  pension  of  the  widow  for  such  child  shall  cease. 

4.  Every  child  having  no  parents  living,  and  who  shall  be  entered  on  the  pension  list, 
shall  be  allowed  the  sum  of  forty  dollars  per  annum,  until  it  shall  arrive  at  the  age  of 
sixteen  years ;  the  said  money  to  be  paid  to  the  guardian  of  the  child,  or  such  other 
person  as  the  committee  shall  approve. 

5.  No  arrearages  of  pensions  shall  be  paid  for  a  longer  period  than  one  year. 

§  4.  The  Committee  on  Pensions  shall  investigate  and  report  thereon,  at  least  once  in 
each  year,  into  the  circumstances  of  the  several  pensioners  of  the  Society,  in  order  that 
they  may  obtain  a  knowledge  whether  they  are  proper  objects  of  its  bounty,  and  should 
so  continue. 

§  5.  When,  during  the  recess  of  the  Society,  applications  are  made  to  the  committee, 
by  pensioners  or  others,  either  for  relief  or  for  funeral  expenses  of  a  deceased  brother,  his 
widow,  or  orphan  children,  or  when  such  applications  have  been  referred  to  them,  it  shall 
be  their  duty  to  make  careful  investigation  of  the  circumstances  of  the  person  or  persons 
by  whom  or  in  whose  behalf  the  applications  have  been  made ;  and  if  it  shall  appear  that 
the  applicants  are  entitled  to  relief,  and  the  circumstances  are  such  as  will  not  admit  of  the 
delay  necessary  to  make  a  formal  report  thereof  to  the  Society,  then  it  shall  be  lawful  for 
them  to  make  a  donation  of  relief  of  a  sum  not  to  exceed  twenty  dollars  in  any  month  for 
each  case,  or  toward  funeral  expenses  of  a  sum  not  to  exceed  one  hundred  dollars  in  each 
case.  And  it  shall  be  their  further  duty  to  report  to  the  Society,  at  its  next  meeting 
thereafter,  the  amount  of  every  such  donation,  with  the  names  and  circumstances  of  the 
several  persons  to  whom  and  in  whose  behalf  they  were  made. 

§  6.  The  office  for  the  quarterly  payment  of  the  pensioners  of  the  Society  shall  be  in 
some  appropriate  room  in  Mechanics'  Hall. 

§  7.  The  committee  shall  report  (at  the  annual  meeting)  to  th  Society  the  names  of 
all  persons  relieved,  and  the  amount  paid  to  each,  which  report  shall  be  read  in  detail. 

§  8.  The  committee  will  transmit  to  the  Treasurer  of  the  Society  for  payment  all  bills 
incurred  by  them,  duly  audited  and  certified  by  their  Chairman  and  Secretary. 

§  9.  The  Pension  Committee  shall  have  the  management  and  control  of  the  burial 
plot  at  Cypress  Hills  Cemetery  belonging  to  this  Society. 

They  shall  permit  the  interment  therein  upon  their  decease,  and  upon  application 
therefor,  of  any  member,  or  member's  wife,  widow,  or  minor  children. 

Article  X. — The  School  Committee. 

§  1.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  School  Committee  to  take  charge  of,  and  to  super- 
intend the  interests  of  the  school ;  to  judge  the  qualifications  of,  and  to  employ  and 
discharge  teachers  or  other  persons  therein  engaged ;  to  make  rules  and  regulations  for 


394 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


the  admission  of  scholars  and  the  government  of  the  school,  and  to  cause  the  school  to  be 
visited  at  each  session  by  one  or  more  members  of  the  committee. 

§  2.  Members  of  the  Society,  minor  children  of  members,  or  of  deceased  members, 
apprentices,  journeymen  mechanics,  artisans,  females  employed  at  any  legitimate  business, 
and  unemployed  persons  under  sixteen  years  of  age,  shall  be  entitled  to  the  gratuitous 
privileges  of  the  school,  under  such  rules  and  regulations  as  may  be  established  by  the 
committee  and  approved  by  the  Society. 

§  3.  All  bills  for  expenditures  incurred  by  the  committee  shall  be  duly  audited  and 
certified  by  the  Chairman  and  Secretary,  and  transmitted  to  the  Treasurer  of  the  Society 
for  payment. 

Article  XL — The  Library  Committee. 

§  1.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Library  Committee  to  take  charge  of,  and  to  superin- 
tend the  Apprentices'  and  De  Milt  Libraries  and  the  reading-rooms,  and  to  establish 
rules  and  regulations  for  the  government  thereof ;  to  employ  and  discharge  the  Librarian 
and  other  persons  therein  engaged ;  to  supply  the  libraries  and  reading-rooms  with  such 
publications  as  may  be  deemed  suitable,  also  the  necessary  stationery,  printing,  and  bind- 
ing, within  the  amount  of  their  appropriation,  and  to  visit  the  libraries  and  reading-rooms 
each  day  when  open,  by  one  or  more  of  its  members. 

§  2.  The  members  of  the  Society,  their  wives  and  children,  the  widows  and  children 
of  deceased  members,  persons  employed  as  apprentices,  journeymen  mechanics,  draughts- 
men, artisans,  teachers  employed  in  the  schools  of  the  Society,  males  under  eighteen  years 
of  age  employed  at  any  legitimate  business,  and  all  females  likewise  so  employed,  shall  be 
entitled  to  the  free  privileges  of  the  library  and  reading-rooms,  under  such  rules  and  regu- 
lations as  may  be  established  by  the  committee  and  approved  by  the  Society. 

§  3.  The  committee  will  transmit  to  the  Treasurer  of  the  Society,  for  payment,  all 
bills  incurred  by  it,  duly  audited  and  certified  by  the  Chairman  and  Secretary. 

Article  XII. — The  Literary  and  Scientific  Committee. 

§  1.  Such  appropriations  as  may  be  made  to  the  Committee  for  Promoting  and 
Disseminating  Literary  and  Scientific  Knowledge  shall  be  applied  by  the  committee  for 
the  procuring  of  suitable  persons  to  deliver  lectures  or  readings,  or  for  imparting  knowledge 
by  such  other  modes  as  the  committee  shall  judge  most  suitable  to  promote  the  objects  of 
the  Society  in  the  moral  and  intellectual  improvement  of  its  members  and  their  families. 

§  2.  All  bills  incurred  by  the  committee  shall  be  duly  audited  and  transmitted  to  the 
Treasurer  of  the  Society  for  payment,  certified  by  the  Chairman  and  Secretary. 

Article  XIII. — Building  and  Sinking  Fund  Committee. 

It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Building  and  Sinking  Fund  Committee  to  receive  all 
appropriations,  donations,  or  bequests  to  the  Building  and  Sinking  Fund  that  may  be 
made  by  the  Society,  its  members  or  other  persons,  securely  and  promptly  investing  the 
same  in  the  name  and  subject  to  the  order  of  the  Society,  in  such  a  manner  and  in  such 
securities  as  the  Society  may  direct  or  approve,  stating  in  detail,  in  their  quarterly  and 


MECHANICS      AND  TRADESMEN 


395 


annual  reports,  the  amount  of  such  fund,  the  manner  of  its  investment,  and  any  receipts  or 
disbursements  on  account  thereof  since  the  previous  report. 

Article  XIV. — Auditing  Committee. 

§  i.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Auditing  Committee,  immediately  after  their  appoint- 
ment, to  examine  the  books  and  accounts  of  the  Treasurer  and  Secretary,  also  the  deeds 
and  leases  of  property,  bonds,  securities,  certificates  of  stock,  money  on  deposit,  and  all 
other  evidences  of  property  belonging  to  the  Society,  and  they  shall  make  a  full  and 
detailed  report  of  the  result  of  such  examination  at  the  next  meeting  of  the  Society. 

§  2.  All  reports,  with  the  accompanying  vouchers,  from  any  officer  or  committee  per- 
taining to  the  receipt  or  disbursement  of  moneys,  shall  be  referred  to  said  committee  for 
examination  and  report  thereon. 

§  3.  Any  bills  for  necessary  expenses  incurred  by  this  committee  shall  be  certified  by 
the  Chairman  and  Secretary,  and  transmitted  to  the  Finance  Committee  for  payment. 

Article  XV. — The  Library  Fund. 

§  1.  All  donations,  devises,  and  bequests,  which  may  be  made  to  the  Society  for  the 
use,  maintenance,  and  extension  of  the  Apprentices'  Library  and  Reading-rooms  (unless 
otherwise  directed  by  the  parties  making  them),  together  with  such  sum  or  sums  of  money, 
or  such  property  as  the  Society  may  from  time  to  time  designate  for  that  purpose,  shall 
constitute  a  separate  and  permanent  fund  for  the  said  purpose,  to  be  called  the  "Library 
Fund"  :  and  the  interest  or  income  thereof,  alone,  shall  be  applied  for  the  use,  maintenance, 
and  extension  of  the  said  library  and  reading-rooms,  and  in  such  manner  as  may  from  time 
to  time  be  directed  by  a  vote  of  the  Society. 

§  2.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Treasurer  to  take  charge  of  said  fund,  and  from  time 
to  time,  as  he  may  be  directed  by  a  vote  of  the  Society,  invest  the  same,  and  all  contribu- 
tions and  appropriations  therefor,  in  good  and  sufficient  security.  And  the  interest  and 
income  arising  therefrom  shall  be  annually  appropriated  and  applied  for  the  use,  mainte- 
nance, and  extension  of  the  before  named  Library  and  Reading-rooms,  in  such  manner  as 
may  from  time  to  time  be  directed  by  a  vote  of  the  Society.  And  t  is  hereby  made  his 
duty  to  lay  before  the  Society,  at  the  annual  meeting  (or  oftener,  if  so  required  to  do  by  a 
vote  of  the  Society),  a  separate  and  exact  report  of  the  condition  of  said  fund,  setting 
forth,  in  a  particular  manner,  the  amount  thereof,  the  income  arising  therefrom,  and  the 
nature  of  the  securities  in  which  the  same  may  be  invested. 

Article  XVI. — Transfer  of  Real  or  Personal  Estate. 

Whenever  a  resolution  to  sell,  mortgage,  or  lease  any  real  estate  belonging  to  the 
Society,  or  to  sell  or  transfer  any  of  its  personal  property  (exceeding  in  value  the  sum -of 
five  thousand  dollars),  shall  be  regularly  brought  before  the  Society,  it  shall  lie  on  the  table 
till  the  next  regular  meeting,  or  a  special  meeting,  should  such  be  called ;  and  it  shall  be 
the  duty  of  the  Secretary,  at  least  three  days  previous  to  said  meeting,  to  send  to  each 
member,  whose  place  of  residence  he  can  ascertain,  a  written  or  printed  notice  that  such 
resolution  has  been  moved. 


396 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


Article  XVII. —  Removal  of  Officers  and  Members  of  Committees. 

Any  officer  of  the  Society,  or  member  of  any  committee,  who  willfully  or  persistently 
neglects  to  perform  or  discharge  the  duties  appertaining  to  his  position,  or  while  acting  as 
such  officer  or  member  of  committee  shall  be  guilty  of  conduct  disgraceful  or  unbecoming 
to  his  position,  or  disreputable  to  his  associates  or  the  Society,  may  be  removed  as  such 
officer  or  member  of  committee  by  a  three-fourths  vote  of  the  members  present  at  any 
regular  meeting  of  the  Society,  provided  charges  duly  specifying  the  offense  alleged  against 
the  officer  or  member  of  committee  shall  be  preferred  in  writing  by  one  or  more  members 
of  the  Society,  at  a  regular  meeting  thereof,  a  copy  of  which  charges  shall  be  served  upon 
the  officer  or  member  of  committee  so  charged  at  least  twelve  days  previous  to  the  Society 
taking  any  action  thereon,  providing  for  his  removal,  and  which  shall  be  done  only  after 
an  opportunity  for  defense  has  been  afforded  the  officer  or  member  of  committee  so 
charged. 

Article  XVIII. — Admission  and  Initiation. 

§  i.  The  art  or  trade  of  every  person  proposed  as  a  member  of  this  Society  shall  be 
entered  by  the  Secretary  on  the  minutes  of  the  meeting  at  which  such  proposition  is  made. 
All  propositions  for  membership  shall  be  made  at  a  regular  meeting,  and  balloted  for  at 
the  next  regular  meeting;  and  the  Society  shall  in  no  case  proceed  to  ballot  for  such  person 
as  a  member  unless  four  brothers  shall  have  previously  vouched  for  his  character  at  the 
time  of  his  being  proposed,  as  it  relates  to  industry,  honesty,  and  sobriety ;  and  also  for 
his  being  a  mechanic  or  tradesman,  and  a  citizen  of  the  United  States.  The  votes  of  two- 
thirds  of  the  members  present  at  any  meeting  of  the  Society  shall  be  necessary  for  his 
admission. 

§  2.  Every  person  elected  a  member  of  this  Society  shall,  within  three  regular  meet- 
ings thereafter,  apply  for  the  purpose  of  being  initiated ;  and  in  case  any  person  so 
elected  shall  neglect  to  apply  within  the  time  aforesaid,  his  election  shall,  by  such  neglect, 
become  void. 

§  3.  Every  person  admitted  a  member  of  this  Society  shall  pay  to  the  Treasurer,  upon 
his  initiation,  the  sum  of  fifty  dollars,  and  affix  his  signature  to  the  General  Register  of  the 
Society. 

§  4.  All  persons  who  are  in  waiting  for  the  purpose  of  being  initiated  shall  be  intro- 
duced to  the  Society  by  two  brothers,  previously  appointed  by  the  President  or  presiding 
officer  as  Masters  of  Ceremonies  for  that  evening.  The  Masters  of  Ceremonies  will 
announce  their  approach  at  the  door  of  the  hall  by  three  distinct  raps,  which  will  be 
answered  by  the  President  with  two  strokes  of  his  gavel ;  the  brothers  will  thereupon 
rise,  while  the  Masters  of  Ceremonies  present  the  member  or  members  elect  to  the 
presiding  officer  for  initiation,  who  will  then  address  them  as  follows : 

Fellow-Citizens  : 

In  accordance  with  our  charter,  you  have  been  elected  a  member  of  this  incorpora- 
tion, the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New-York.  This 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


397 


is  the  result  of  the  testimonial  which  we  have  received  of  your  character.  Let  sobriety, 
industry,  and  integrity  continue  to  be  the  ornaments  of  your  name. 

To  relieve  the  unfortunate,  the  widow,  and  the  orphan,  was  the  primary  and  com- 
mendable object  of  the  founders  of  this  association.  Its  usefulness  has  since  been 
extended  by  the  establishment  of  a  Library  and  Reading-rooms,  with  a  school  for  the 
instruction  and  improvement  of  the  apprentices  and  others  of  our  city. 

It  is  expected  that  you  will  lend  your  aid  to  these  laudable  purposes,  and  promote 
with  your  brethren  the  honor  and  welfare  of  the  institution. 

We  welcome  you  as  a  brother !  a  delightful  union  where  the  bond  of  friendship  is 
benevolence. 

You  will  now  inscribe  your  name  on  the  General  Register  of  the  Society,  in  whose 
behalf  I  tender  you  the  right  hand  of  fellowship. 

Article  XIX. 

These  By-Laws,  or  any  part  thereof,  may  be  suspended  at  any  regular  meeting  of  the 
Society  by  the  unanimous  consent  of  the  members  present,  but  such  suspension  shall  not 
continue  in  force  beyond  the  commencement  of  the  next  regular  meeting ;  they  may  also 
be  altered,  amended,  or  repealed  at  any  regular  meeting  of  the  Society,  provided  that  two- 
thirds  of  the  members  present  vote  in  favor  thereof,  and  provided  also  that  such  proposed 
alterations,  amendments,  or  repeal  have  been  duly  proposed  in  writing  at  a  previous  regular 
meeting. 

All  previous  By-Laws  of  the  Society  are  hereby  repealed. 
These  By-Laws  shall  take  effect  immediately. 

ORDER  OF  BUSINESS  AND  RULES  OF  ORDER. 

First.  The  President  shall  take  the  chair  at  the  appointed  time,  and  call  the  meeting  to 
order,  and,  a  quorum  being  present,  the  business  shall  proceed  in  the  following  order  : 

1.  Reading  the  Minutes. 

2.  Reading  of  Communications  to  the  Society. 

3.  Balloting  for  Members. 

4.  Proposition  of  Candidates. 

5.  Initiation  of  Members. 

6.  Reports  from  the  Treasurer. 

7.  Reports  from  the  Secretary. 

8.  Reports  from  Standing  Committees. 

9.  Reports  from  Special  Committees. 

10.  Unfinished  business. 

11.  Motions  for  the  benefit  of  the  Society. 

Second.  Every  member  wishing  to  speak  shall  rise  and  address  the  President. 

Third.  When  two  or  more  members  rise  at  once,  the  President  shall  name  the  mem- 
ber who  is  entitled  to  the  floor. 

Fourth.  No  member  shall  speak  more  than  twice  to  the  same  question,  if  objected  to, 
unless  he  shall  have  obtained  permission  from  the  Society. 


398 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


Fifth.  No  motion  shall  be  debated  or  put  unless  the  same  be  seconded.  When  a 
motion  is  seconded,  it  shall  be  stated  by  the  President  before  debate,  and  every  such 
motion  shall  be  reduced  to  writing,  if  the  President  or  any  member  desire  it. 

Sixth.  All  reports  from  committees  shall  be  in  writing,  and  signed  by  the  Chairman 
and  Secretary  thereof,  but  nothing  herein  shall  prevent  a  minority  of  a  committee  from  pre- 
senting a  report,  which  may  be  read  and  considered  after  the  majority  report  has  been 
read. 

Seventh.  After  a  motion  is  stated  by  the  President,  it  shall  be  in  possession  of  the 
Society;  but  it  may  be  withdrawn,  by  consent  of  the  Society,  at  any  time  before  decision 
or  amendment. 

Eighth.  When  a  question  is  under  debate  no  motion  shall  be  received  but  to  adjourn, 
to  lie  on  the  table,  the  previous  question,  to  postpone,  to  commit,  or  to  amend ;  which 
several  motions  shall  have  precedence  in  the  order  here  specified.  The  motion  for  adjourn- 
ment shall  always  be  in  order,  and  decided  without  debate. 

Ninth.  The  previous  question  shall  be  in  this  form  :  Shall  the  main  question  be  now 
put  ?  It  shall  only  be  admitted  when  demanded  by  five  or  more  of  the  members  present, 
and  its  effect  shall  be  to  put  an  end  to  all  debate,  and  bring  the  Society  to  a  direct  vote. 

Tenth.  While  the  President  is  putting  a  question  no  member  shall  walk  out  of  or 
across  the  room ;  nor  when  a  member  is  speaking  shall  any  one  entertain  private  discourse, 
or  pass  between  him  and  the  chair. 

Eleventh.  In  filling  up  blanks,  the  largest  sum  and  longest  time  shall  be  put  first. 


NAMES  OF  THE  MEMBERS 

Of  the  General  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen  of  the  City  of  New- York,  from  the  institution  of 
the  Society  in  the  year  1785,  to  the  31st  of  October,  1881. 


♦Allen,  William 
*Arden,  Jacob  J. 
*Arden,  Jacob 
•Anderson,  Elbert 
♦Ackerman,  Henry 
♦Amerman,  Peter 
♦Allen,  Stephen 
♦Aymar,  James,  Jr. 
♦Alner,  James 
♦Auchincloss,  John 
♦Armstrong,  James 
♦Abbott,  Abijah 
♦Arnold,  Ph. 


(Deceased  Members  marked  thus:*) 

1786    ♦Arcularius,  Geo.  1798 
♦Alstine,  Abraham 
♦Anderson,  Andrew  1799 

1791  *Adriance,  Samuel  P.  1801 

1792  ♦Arcularius,  Philip  I. 
♦Abrahams,  Moses 
•Anderson,  Elbert,  Jr. 
♦Anthony,  John  P. 
♦Arden,  Thomas  S.  *  1801 

1793  ♦Allen,  Stephen  1803 
•Ackerman,  John 
•Allison,  Michael 

1795    •Armstrong,  John 


♦Armstrong,  William 
♦Ash,  William  1810 
♦Arrovvsmith,  Edward 
♦Ames,  Charles 
♦Arcularius,  Andrew  M. 
♦Allison,  Peter 
♦Ackerman,  John 
♦Arcularius,  Henry  1818 
Arrowsmith,  Geo.  1820 
♦Adams,  William  1821 
♦Andrew,  Henry 
Ayres,  William  1822 
1804    ♦Allender,  William  N. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


399 


*Adams,  David 

*Asten,  Thomas  1823 

Abbot,  Michael  1824 
*Arcularius,  P.  I.,  Jr.  1825 

Ackerman,  Henry 
♦Arnoux,  Anthony  1826 
♦Anderson,  Henry  1828 

Agnew,  Cornelius 
*Aims,  Peter  1829 
*Althouse,  Sam'l  B.  1830 
♦Applegate,  Matthew  R. 
*Applegate,  Elijah 
*Ackerman,  Lawrence  183  i 
♦Alley,  Saul 
♦Arnoux,  Gabriel  A. 
*Aikman,  Robert  1832 

Anderson,  John  1833 
*  Airman,  Hugh  1835 

Ackerman,  Ab'm  I 

(Mason.)  ) 

Ackerman,  Ab'm  i 

♦Addison,  Thomas  1836 

Adams,  Nathaniel  E. 

Atkinson,  Samuel  1837 

Ackerman,  John  R. 
♦Adams,  William 

Avis,  William  T. 

Andariese,  John 
♦Allen,  John  T. 
♦Avery,  Elisha  L.  1838 
♦Acker,  Jacob  1840 

Aeby,  Rudolph  1841 
♦Andrews,  Loring  1846 

Ayres,  Albert 
♦Amerman,  John  W. 

Adams,  Joseph  A.  1847 

Allen,  John 
♦Archer,  Isaac  H. 

Alvord,  Corydon  A.  1848 

Allison,  Michael,  Jr. 
♦Aitken,  John  1849 

Arthur,  William  C.  1850 
♦Alvord,  Alonzo  A.    185 1 

Ash,  Joseph  H.  1852 

Allee,  Joseph  B. 

Anderton,  Ralph  L.  1853 

Appleton,  Wm.  H.  1857 


Arthur,  William  H. 
Andrews,  Wm.  D.  1865 
Althause,  John  J. 
Andruss,  Ab'm  A.  1866 
Ayres,  Abram  1871 
Andruss,  Charles 
Andruss,  Henry  1872 
Anthony,  Henry  T.  1875 
Adams,  Walter  W.  1876 
Adams,  Henry  1877 
Anderson,  Edmund  1878 
Alexander,  Geo.  W. 
Abendroth,  John  1879 
Andruss,  Norman  1881 

♦Bryar,  William  1788 

♦Brooks,  Michael  1789 

♦Bloodgood,  Ab'm  1790 

♦Baker,  Gardiner  1791 

♦Brower,  John 

♦Byrne,  James 

♦Bertine,  Peter 

♦Bissett,  James  D. 

♦Browne,  Thomas 

♦Bush,  Evert  1792 

♦Benson,  Benjamin 

♦Burling,  Samuel 

♦Brush,  Gilbert  1792 

♦Brown,  Robert 

♦Bordett,  Peter,  Jr. 

♦Brown,  Anthony 

♦Bogart,  John 

♦Browne,  Nathaniel 

♦Brown,  John 

♦Bunn,  Reuben 

♦Barton,  William 

♦Bussing,  James  1793 

♦Barber,  Silas 

♦Bancker,  Gerard 

♦Burger,  John  1794 

♦Bertine,  James  1795 

♦Bussing,  William 

♦Baldwin,  John  1796 

♦Brinkerhoff,  Corns. 

♦Badgley,  James 

♦Buel,  John  1797 

♦Bierman,  Jacob  1798 

♦Batchelor,  John  1800 


♦Buckmaster,  George 
♦Burras,  George  G. 
♦Bussing,  John 
♦Ball,  John  T.  1801 
♦Brower,  David  A. 
♦Baehr,  Daniel 
♦Brower,  James 
♦Brower,  John  D. 
♦Barker,  Joshua 
♦Boscawen,  John 
♦Berrian,  Cornelius  P. 
♦Bell,  James  1802 
♦Bruen,  Matthias 
♦Brown,  Christian 
♦Bogart,  Adrian  A. 
♦Brower,  Jacob  1803 
♦Baker,  Daniel 
♦Berdan,  David 
♦Bogert,  Peter 
♦Brower,  Nicholas 
♦Brooks,  James  1804 
♦Blossom,  Elisha 
♦Braynin,  George 
♦Burtis,  Arthur 
♦Bain,  John  W.,  Jr. 
♦Bloodgood,  John  1805 
♦Blake,  Robert 
♦Bradford,  William 
♦Berrian,  Richard  P. 
♦Bind,  Charles 
♦Butler,  Amos  1810 
♦Bolton,  Thomas 
♦Barker,  Joshua,  Jr. 
♦Boston,  Robert 
♦Benedict,  James        18 10 
♦Barker,  Stephen 
♦Baker,  John 
♦Brown,  John  D. 
♦Browne,  Charles 
♦Brooks,  Reuben 
♦Buloid,  Robert 
♦Birdsall,  Benjamin  M." 
♦Butler,  William 
♦Barkley,  James 
♦Brower,  John  L. 
♦Bedient,  John 
♦Bakewell,  William 


4oo 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


*Bro\vn,  George  W. 
•Brooks,  Thomas  1814 
*Berrien,  Daniel  1821 
*Burk,  John 

•Burling,  Lancas'r  S.  1822 
*Barnum,  Ira 
*Bruce,  John  M. 
•Burtis,  William  A.  1824 
•Baxter,  Peter 

Baldwin,  G.  M. 

Beadel,  Joseph  W.  1825 
•Barnes,  Samuel  S.  1827 
•Blackledge,  Adam 

Brower,  James 
•Bookhout,  John  1828 
•Burnett,  Benjamin 
•Bussing,  Thomas 
•Brown,  Isaac 
•Beadel,  Moses  1829 
•Barnes,  Joseph  N. 
•Brewster,  Joseph 
•Baker,  Anson  1830 
•Bingle,  Richard  H. 

Bunce,  Henry 
•Bartlett,  Caleb 
•Betts,  James  E.  1831 

Briggs,  Edward  F. 

Bicknall,  Isaac  I.     183 1 

Braine,  Daniel 
*Budd,  John 
•Bunting,  Jacob  P. 
•Bowne,  Thomas  P.  1832 
•Barnes,  William  H. 
•Birdsall,  Benjamin 
•Bruce,  George 
•Bogert,  Peter  J. 
•Brooks,  Daniel  1833 
•Banning,  Alpheus  1835 
•Boyce,  Gerardus 
•Bunting,  John  A. 
•Brant,  Randolph 
•Benedict,  Samuel  W. 
•Bennet,  David  L. 
•Brundage,  James  H. 
•Baldwin,  Cyrus 

Berrian,  James 
•Browning,  William 


Black,  John 

Bensel,  James  B.  1836 
•Balmer,  Walter  1837 

Brooks,  George 
•Brooks,  William 

Bartlett,  John 

Brush,  Benjamin  D. 
•Belloni,  Louis  J. 
*Berry,  Martin  R.  1838 
•Bayles,  Daniel  S. 
•Brown,  Brittain  M. 

Butler,  John 

Burns,  Thomas  J. 

Burns,  Martin 

Brown,  William 

Bishop,  Joseph 

Brown,  Edgar  M.  1839 

Berrian,  Augustus  F. 

Bradford,  Richard  J. 

Brown,  Alexander  1840 

Blauvelt,  Rich'd  D.  1840 

Boggs,  William  G. 

Bradley,  William  C. 

Bloodgood, Matthias  1841 

Brewster,  Joseph  B. 
•Bell,  Joseph  T. 

Baldwin,  Moses  G. 

Bull,  Reuben  C.  1842 

Bartlett,  Thomas  1843 
•Brady,  William  V.  1844 

Bogert,  Gilbert  J.  1845 

Buckley,  John 

Bogart,  Anderson 
•Byrdsall,  Fitz  Wm.  1846 

Buchan,  James 
•Brown,  Charles  P. 

Bullard,  John,  Jr. 
•Blunt,  Orison  1847 

Bunting,  Charles  T. 

Bouton,  Lewis  S. 

Bowman,  Samuel  S. 
•Baker,  Charles 

Bogardus,  William 
•Baker,  Daniel 

Browne,  George  B.  1848 
•Brown,  John  T. 

Birkbeck,  George,  Jr. 


•Brady,  Archibald  C. 
•Black, Job  L.  1849 

•bonnel,  mahlon 
•Bosch,  Bernard 

Bloodgood,  Freeman 

Belknap,  Joseph  1850 
•Booth,  Samuel 

Boardman,  John- 
Bradford,  Nathaniel  G. 
•Browning,  Theo.  1851 

Barlow,  Edward 

Bull,  John  B. 

Bucknam,  Ezra  1852 
•Beals,  Horace  1852 

Burr,  Henry  A.  1853 
•Bartholomew,  Fred.  H. 

Burke,  John  1854 
•Brisley,  William  J.  1855 
•Byrd,  George  J. 

Bremmer,  Andrew  A. 
•Brown,  Joshua  1856 

Brien,  Timothy  1857 

Bogert,  Albert  G. 

Bogert,  Jacob  C.  1859 

Burnet,  James  J. 
•Brant,  John  C. 

Berrien,  Wm.  E.  1861 

BlLLERWELL,  GEO.  B. 

Bogart,  Philip  E.  1863 

Boyd,  Harkness 
•Brooks,  Elisha 

Blackeney,  Wm.  E. 

Bogert,  James  1865 

Bogardus,  Abraham 

Bliss,  John  E. 

Bruce,  David  Wolfe 
•Boyle,  John  C. 

Blackledge,  Benj. 

Burras,  William  H. 
•Brown,  E.  D.  1867 

Beatiy,  Robert  1869 
•Burnham,  Manly  A. 

Budd,  John  J. 

Brown,  Jacob  S.  1870 

Bird,  James  D. 

Burtnett,  Henry  B.  1871 

Banta,  John 


MECHANICS      AND  TRADESMEN 


40I 


Baxter,  Geo.  L.  1872 

Bracher,  Thos.  W.  1874 

Boyce,  Daniel  D. 

Bloodgood,  And'wD.  1875 

Burnet,  Gilbert  J. 

Bogert,  John  G. 

Barrett,  Oliver  1875 

Brown,  John  J.  1876 
*Brennan,  William 

Bloodgood,  Wm.  E.  1877 

Borkel,  John 

Bessey,  Henry  1878 

Brown,  John  H. 

Bowes,  Charles  M.  1880 

Blackledge,  Chas.  E. 

Burkhard,  Thomas 

Brown,  Alex.,  Jr.  1881 
*  Campbell,  John  1786 
*Cammerdener,  John  1787 
*Cole,  Peter  1789 
♦Cunningham,  Rich'd  1790 
*Champlin,  Seabury    1 791 
*Crolius,  John 
*culbertson,  james  1792 
*Cox,  Robert 
*covenhoven,  henry 
♦Crygier,  Augustus 
*Cheeseman,  John 
*Cromwell,  Oliver 
*Crygier,  Cornelius,  Jr. 
♦Conrey,  Peter 
*Campbell,  John  (2d) 
*Cooper,  Francis  1793 
*Conner,  John 
♦Cunningham,  David 
*Carmer,  Nicholas 
•Carter,  Robert 
♦Campbell,  Alex. 
*Chalk,  Richard  1797 
♦Campbell,  John  1798 
*Collis,  George 
♦Crygier,  John  C.  1799 
*Colles,  Richard 
*Colles,  John  1800 
♦Corning,  Amos 
*Cullum,  George  1801 
♦Cheetham,  James  1801 


*Candell,  Thomas 
♦Crolius,  Clarkson  1802 
•Christian,  Chas.  1803 
♦Chapman,  John 
♦Cameron,  John 
♦Carpenter,  Jacob 
*Clark,  Samuel  1804 
♦coddington,  isaac 
♦Curtis,  Robert 
*Clark,  Benjamin 
♦Craig,  Hector 
♦Cornell,  Thomas  1805 
♦Carter,  Adolph  1806 
♦Crawley,  Dewsbury  18 10 
♦couenhoven,  christian 
♦Cox,  William 
*Chapple,  Anthony 
♦Corse,  Israel 
♦Coddington,  Moses 
♦Crow,  John 
♦Carter,  William  M. 
♦Cheeseman,  Joseph 
♦Cruikshank,  William 
♦Conry,  John 
♦Conklin,  George 
♦Clark,  Allen 

Crolius,  William  I. 

Clark,  Samuel 
♦Colvill,  John  181 1 

♦Conover,  Stephen  1821 
♦Constantine,  Thos. 
♦Cole,  Peter  W. 
♦Carroll,  Matthew 
♦Clark,  Oliver  L. 
♦Camerden,  Henry 
♦Cross,  Isaac  1822 
♦Cheeseman,  Wm. 

Cole,  John 

Conklin,  John  1824 
♦Casilear,  John  1824 
♦Corey,  John  H. 

Cisco,  Peter  F.  1825 
♦Cooper,  Benjamin 
♦Clover,  Lewis  P. 
♦Chapman,  Darius  1826 
♦Chandler,  Adoniram 
♦Coates,  Edward 


♦Cargill,  Abraham  1827 
♦Clayton,  Edwin  B. 
♦Curtis,  Joseph  1828 
♦Cox,  Jameson 

Chandler,  Dimond  1829 
♦Cornell,  George  1830 
•Conner,  James 

Cortelyou,  Peter  C. 

Cox,  Jacob  D.  1831 
♦Conely,  William  S. 

Campbell,  James 
♦Chalmers,  James 
•Colgate,  William 
♦Costar,  Henry 
♦Conner,  Thomas 
♦Collins,  Benj.  S.  1832 
•Comstock,  E.  D. 

Crawford,  John 

Carter,  Samuel 
♦Chardavoyne,  Thos.  C. 
♦Carman,  Richard  F. 

Clapp,  Henry  W. 
•Clannon,  Simon  1833 

Condit,  Calvin 
•Cummings,  James 
♦Cox,  Charles  1835 

Cort,  Nicholas 
•Coles,  Thomas 
♦Clussman,  Charles  L. 

Coit,  William  A.  1836 

Crane,  Thomas 

Conklin,  William 

Crosi.i',  Ransom  1836 
•Campbell,  Freeman 
•Conroy,  Thomas  G. 
♦Colwell,  Townsend 
•Cummings,  Moody  1837 
♦cumberson,  ethelbert 

Camp,  Ozias 

Cole,  Barnet 

Cooper,  Peter 

Craig,  Joseph  183$ 
•Cogswell,  Horace 
♦Carnley,  Thomas  1839 

Chase,  Matthew  H. 

Conklin,  Cornelius 

Cutter,  Stephen 


402 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


Camp,  B.  P.  1840 

Chatellier,  John 
♦Cobb,  Lyman  1841 

Curr,  James 
*conover,  gustavus  a. 

Craighead,  Robert  1842 

Coger,  Daniel 

Cooper,  Obadiah 

Copland,  James  1843 

Corlies,  John  B.  1846 
•Curtis,  William  H. 

Curtis,  George  A. 
•Coles,  Cornelius 
•Catterfield,  William  F. 
*Chalmers,  Thomas  1847 

Currier,  Nathaniel 
•Coger,  John,  Jr. 

Cumming,  John  P. 

Cape,  John  J.  1848 

Crane,  Jacob  B.  1850 

Crane,  William 

Cunningham,  Francis 
•Cunningham,  William 

Castree,  John 

Cunningham,  James  1851 
•Collis,  William  E.  1851 

Conover,  John  T. 

Christy,  Thomas  1853 

Clark,  James  1854 
*Chatterton,  S.  S.  1855 

Church,  Andrew  B. 

Craigie,  Hugh  H.  1856 

Colt,  Amos  H. 

Cornell,  Birdsall  1857 

Connor,  John  C.  1859 

Collamore,  Ebenezer 

Caun,  John  i860 

Chambers,  John  H. 

Crommelin,  Edward  1861 

Clawson,  John  M. 

Coddington,  Geo.  F.  1863 

Connolly,  William  1865 

Coryell,  Miers 
•Cory,  William  H. 
•Carson,  John  C. 

Combes,  Richard  Carman 

Cornell,  Ludlum 


Calkin,  Hervey  C.  1866 
Coar,  John 

Case,  Lewis  R.  1867 
Crow,  Langstaff  N. 
Cutter,  James  H.  1868 
Colwell,  Joseph  1870 
Cheney,  Nathaniel 
Cochran,  Samuel 
Christie,  Wm.  H.  1871 
Case,  Jesse  G.  1872 
Cunningham,  R.  A.  1873 
Cochran,  John  S.  1874 
Chrystal,  John 
Cory,  Enos  W.  1875 
Chapman,  Henry  R.  1876 
Campbell,  Andrew  J.  1878 
Collins,  William  1879 
Conover,  Alonzo  E. 
Coger,  John  J.  1879 
Christie,  Robert  1880 
Culgin,  Guy 

•Davis,  Richard  1790 
*De  Grauve,  Walter  1791 
•Day,  Edward  1792 
•Day,  John 
•Dash,  John  B.,  Jr. 
•Deforest,  Theodore 
•Dally,  William 
•Duffie,  James 
•Duyckinck,  Evert 
*Demilt,  Thomas 
•Durham,  Andrew 
•Dodds,  Thomas 
•Dobbs,  Charles  1796 
•Davis,  Richard  B.  1797 
•Davis,  William  A.  1798 
•Davis,  Matthew  L.  1799 
•De  Groodt,  Samuel  1800 
•Donaldson,  Wm.  1801 
•Duyckinck,  Chris. 
•Driskel,  Jacob 
•Dando,  Stephen  1803 
•Dingee,  Robert 
•Disbrow,  John 
•doolittle,  elkanah  1804 
•Devoe,  Charles 
•Degrove,  Robert  C.  1805 


•Dodge,  Robert 
•Dixey,  John  1810 
•Duvall,  William 
•Duvall,  Joseph 
•Delano,  Jesse 
•Del  Vecchio,  Joseph 
•Dougherty,  John  1820 
•Delapierre,  Barth'w 
•Depew,  Joseph  182 1 

•Dodge,  Hosea  1822 
•Degrove,  Quincy  C.  1824 

Dubois,  James  1825 
•De  Milt,  Benjamin  1826 
•Dall,  Christopher  H. 
•Dimon,  John 
•Durando,  Paul  M.  P.  1827 
•Dow,  John  M. 

Durbrow,  Joseph 
•Deming,  Barzillai 
*De  Camp,  Abraham  1828 
•Day,  Mahlon  1829 
•Dean,  William  E.  1830 

Demarest,  David  N. 
•Downing,  Benjamin   i  S3 1 

Dod,  Ezra  K. 
•Dean,  Enoch 
•Day,  John 
•Day,  William 

Dunkly,  Leonard 
•Dieterich,  Daniel  1832 

Douglass,  Arnold 
•Doremus,  Jacob  I. 

Dimond,  Isaac  M. 
•Day,  Jacob  G.  1833 

Dodd,  John  M. 

Doughty,  Albert  H. 

Daily,  James  1834 
•Dye,  Clarkson  1835 
•De  Lamater,  John 

Downing,  Elias  M.  1836 
•Dunham,  Henry  R. 

Dawson,  Jacob  H. 
•Day,  Samuel  S.  1837 
•Drake,  Theodore 
•Dunbar,  Samuel 

Dick,  Archibald 

Dymock,  William 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


403 


•Duncan,  Francis 

Douglass,  John  1838 
*Davis,  Ezra  P. 

De  Forest,  Gerardus 

Demarest,  Wm.  H.  1839 

Davies,  John  M.  1841 

Dudley,  Gilman  1844 

Derby,  Freeman 

Dunham,  John  B.  1846 

Dorrian,  William 

DeLamater,Corn'sH.  1848 
*Dufour,  Thomas  1850 

Davids,  Thaddeus 

Drinker,  John 

Duncan,  Francis  1852 
*Denike,  Abraham 
*Del  Vecchio,  James  R. 

Devoe,  Daniel  M. 

Dubois,  Henry  1853 
*Denman,  Ashael  A.  1854 

Dederick,  Zechariah 

Dickinson,  John  B.  1855 

Dougherty,  William 

Davis,  Jesse  J. 
*Doscher,  Claus  1856 

Donald,  William  J.  1859 

Downey,  John 

Dobbs,  Edwin 

Darrah,  Robert  L. 

Dunkin,  John  T.  1864 
*Dimond,  William  1866 
*Doyle,  Cornelius 

Dimond,  James  G. 

Draddy,  Daniel 

Dodd,  John  M.,  Jr.  1868 

Dickinson,  Abisha  S.  1870 

David,  William  P. 

Dollinger,  Geo.  T.  1873 

Deeves,  Richard  1874 

Deane,  Royal  E.  1875 

Dunham,  Kimble 

Dunham,  Lewis 

Doremus,  John  C. 

Drew,  John  N.  1878 

Daly,  Charles  P.  1878 

Doane,  Francis  W. 

Downey,  John  R.  1880 


Drew,  Orrin  H. 

Demarest,  John  i  88 1 

*Elsworth,  John  1791 

*Elliot,  John  1792 
*Egbert,  James 

*Eddo,  Jonas  P.  1794 

*Elsworth,  John  W.  1796 

*Everit,  William  1802 

*Earle,  Thomas  1810 
*Embury,  Peter 

*Englehart,  Geo.  181  i 

*Ervin,  Richard  1812 

*Eckford,  Henry  1S20 

Edgar,  John  1821 

*Elder,  William  1823 
•Egerton,  Abraham  S. 

*Earle,  Samuel  1824 
*Ebbets,  James 

*Elmer,  Charles  1825 

*Everson,  John  D.  1830 

Erben,  Henry  183 i 

Edgerton,  Abel  T. 
*Eichell,  George 

*Elmendorf,  Alfred  1834 

Ellis,  Richmond  1835 
*Earle,  John  L. 
*Everdell,  William 

Estling,  William  T.  1836 

*Everit,  Valentine  1837 

Elder,  Robert  1838 

Emmons,  John  A. 

♦Edmonds,  F.  W.  1839 

Egan,  David  D. 

Edwards,  Thomas  1840 

Edsall,  James 

Elsworth,  John  1843 

*Endicott,  George  1845 

Earle,  Thomas  1846 

Eldredge,  N.  T.  1848 

Esler,  Henry 

♦Evans,  Lemuel  G.  1852 

Ebbitt,  William  1853 

Esterbrook,  Wm.  P.  1859 

Eidlitz,  Marc  i860 
•Edwards,  John 

Englis,  John  1861 

Englis,  John,  Jr.  1868 


Eidlitz,  Leopold 

1870 

Edwards,  Rich'd  T. 

1872 

Ely,  William  H. 

1874 

Earle,  Daniel  D. 

Ellin,  Robert 

1875 

Earle,  Frank  H. 

1881 

•Furman,  Gabriel 

1791 

*FURMAN,  JOSIAH 

1792 

•Fawpel,  John 
*Fink,  Adam 
*Fink,  Alexander,  Jr. 
*Furman,  Richard 
*Ferdon,  Thomas 
•Fach,  Michael  1793 
•Fardon,  Thomas 
•Fardon,  Abraham  1796 
*Forsyth,  John  1797 
*Frobisher,  William 
*Fitzpatrick,  John 
*Forman,  George  1798 
*Furman,  Job  1800 
•Ff.nton,  Peter 
*Furman,  John  1801 
*Forbus,  Peter  1802 
*Forbes,  William  G. 
*Freelon,  Abraham 
*Ford,  Lewis  1804 
*Fletcher,  Daniel  B. 
*Foote,  Thomas 
•Fleet,  Simon  1805 
•Fairchild,  Thomas  1810 
*Forman,  Aaron 
•Frank, Jacob 
•Freeman,  Isaac  R. 
•Ford,  John 
•Finch,  Nathaniel 


Ferdon,  John  S.  1821 

•Fuller,  Benjamin  1824 

•Fuller,  Robert  1825 

•Fleming,  S.  B.  1826 

Forster,  Isaac 


Faulkner,  James  C. 
•Fowler,  Theodore  1827 
•Frasse,  Henry  F. 
*Farrington,  Benjamin 

Farnham,  Charles  1828 
•Fanshaw,  Daniel  1829 


404 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


*Felt,  David  1830 

Fisher,  Albert  1831 

Fardon,  William  1832 
*Fosdick,  Richard  B. 

Flandrow,  John  T. 

•Foster,  John  1833 

Fisher,  Evander  D. 
•Ficket,  Francis 

Fordham,  Austin  S.  1834 

Ferris,  John  H. 

♦Freeman,  Lorrain  1835 

Fryer,  Isaac  1837 

Freeman,  Erastus 

Frisby,  William  1839 

Francis,  Daniel 

*Firth,  John  1840 

Fish,  Orlando  1841 
*Ford  Isaac 

•Farnham,  Geo.  W.  1844 

*Frazee,  Abraham  1845 

Furbush,  S.  B.  1846 
Frost,  Samuel 

Fowler,  Abraham  1848 

*Franklin,  Geo.  H.  1849 

*Fox,  Edward  1850 
•Flender,  John  P. 

Ford,  Patrick.  185  i 

•Farr,  William  1852 

*Freeborn,  Wm.  A.  1856 

•Fisher,  John  T.  1857 

Ford,  George  W.  1859 
•Furbush,  Silas  S. 
Farmer,  John  W. 
Felter,  Abraham  J. 

Felter,  John  J.  1863 

Fulton,  George  1864 

Farrin,  Oliver  A.  1865 

Ferguson,  William  1866 
Floyd,  James  R. 

Fernbach,  Henry  1870 

Felter,  Joseph  W.  187  i 

Farrington,  Jos.  T.  1874 

Frith,  Joseph  R.  1875 
Felter,  Jacob  A. 
Ferdon,  Samuel  B. 

Fay,  Patrick  H.  1876 

Fitch,  Thomas  J.  1881 


•Goodeve,  John  1786 
•Greenleaf,  Thos.  1791 
•Gosman,  Robert 
•Gibson,  Alexander  1792 
•Giles,  Robert  G. 
•Gould',  John 
•Gallaudet,  Paul 
•Garson,  Thomas 
•Garlock,  John 
*Grim,  Jacob  1794 
•Gardiner,  Michael  1800 
•Giltzow,  William  1801 
•Graff,  John 
•Gardner,  Hiram  1802 
•Gaines,  George  W. 
•Grant,  Richard  1803 
•Gunton,  Mark  1803 
•Gibson,  James  1804 
•Gedney,  Robert  1806 
•goodheart,  george  1807 
•Garnsey,  Levi  1810 
•Gould,  Stephen 
•Greenard,  Nevinson 
•Gantz,  Francis,  Jr. 
•Gardiner,  Timothy 
•Guion,  Isaac 
•Geib,  John 
•Geib,  John,  Jr. 
•Godby,  Robert  L. 
•Galbraith,  Allen 
•Gilchrist,  Robert 
•Gardner,  John  F. 


•Gantz,  John  J.  1814 

guillaudeu,  emile  l82i 

•Gumbs,  Edward  1823 

•Gillelan,  John  1825 

Gray,  John,  Jr. 

•Geer,  Seth  1829 

•Greig,  James  S.  1830 

Guyon,  Henry  G.  1831 

Garretson,  Jas  B.  1832 

Gilbert,  John  S. 

•Gantz,  John  Irwin  1833 

Gurnee,  Benjamin 

Griffin,  Charles 

•Gorsuch,  Robert  1834 

Gillespie,  James 


Griffith,  Evan  1836 
Gedney,  Sylvanus  1837 
Gowney,  James 
Grinnell,  Benton 
•Gassner,  John  B. 
Gore,  Amos 

Giles,  John  S.  1838 
Grant,  James 
Gardiner,  Thomas 
Godine,  Francis  1838 
Griffiths,  William  1839 

•Gilbert,  Joshua  T. 
Graff,  John  A.  1841 
Gale,  William 

•Gibney,  Michael  1842 
Gaw,  Alexander 

•Glasier,  Nathaniel  S. 
Glasier,  Russell  W.  1848 
Gettey,  Robert  P. 

•Grosz,  Michael        185  i 

•Genin,  John  N.  1856 
Gedney,  William  H.  1859 
Goodwin,  Charles  T. 
Gallier,  John 
Gregory,  Robert  A.  i860 
Grant,  Alexander  1862 
Gridley,  Edward  1863 

•Grosz,  Frederick  H. 
Goodwin,  Franklin  1864 
Guy,  Pierre  A.  1865 
Gourlay,  George  C.  1866 
Gregory,  James  1868 
Grant,  Donald  1871 
Garden,  C.  Henry  1872 
Germond,  Wellington 
Green,  John  E. 
Gray,  William  H.  1873 
Galloway,  Charles  1874 
Guidet,  Charles  1875 
Geoghegan,  Stephen  J. 
Galbraith,  John  1878 
Gillies,  James  1879 
Goodrich,  Leroy  L. 
Gillies,  John  1881 

•Hodge,  Robert  1786 

•Hopson,  William 

*Haviland,  Caleb 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


405 


*Hitchcock,  Daniel  1791 
*Howell,  Aaron 
*Helme,  Obadiah  1791 
*Harrison,  John  1792 
*Hallet,  James 
*Halstead,  Christopher 
*Haight,  Benjamin 
*Hyer,  William 
*Haff,  John  P. 
*Heckle,  David 
*Haskins,  John 
♦Harway,  Lewis  1794 
*Hyde,  John 

*Hardenbrook,  W.  A.  1796 
*Hatfield,  Elias 
*Hallet,  James,  Jr.  1797 
*Hyer,  John  1799 

*  Hoghland,  William  1800 

*  Hazard,  Thomas 
*Halsey,  Jacob 
*Heiser,  Henry 
*Hyslop,  John  1801 
*Howe,  Brigham 
*Hunt,  James 
♦Hopson,  James 
*Hartell,  Adam 
*Haines,  Abraham  1802 
♦Hinton,  Thomas 
*Haws,  George 
*Hopper,  John,  Jr. 
*Haight,  Gilbert 
*Hoffman,  Cornelius 
*Hinton,  John  W.  1803 
*Hoffman,  Tobias 
*Hunt,  John 

*Hartel,  Christian 
*Helms,  John  E. 
♦Herttell,  William 
*Hustace,  Stephen 
*Hannis,  Thomas  1805 
♦Haviland,  Elias 
♦Harned,  Jonathan  1810 
*Higgins,  Edward      18 10 
*Hatch,  Isaac 
*Holland,  John  I. 
*Halstead,  Pearson 
*Harper,  Samuel  B. 


*Harsin,  George,  Jr. 
*Hutchins,  Samuel 
*Haynes,  Thomas 
*Hewitt,John 
*Hitchcock,  Edward 
♦Hattrick,  Peter 
♦Humbert,  Jonas,  Jr. 
♦Havemeyer,  F.  C. 
*Hunn,  John  1812 
*Higgins,  William  1814 
*Hunter,  William  T.  1818 
♦Hart,  Joseph  C.  1820 

*H0WE,  JEDEDIAH  1821 
HlGGINS,  AMASA 

*Hart,  Benjamin  F. 
♦Humbert,  Jonas  1822 
*Higgins,  William  F.  1823 
*Hazlett,  John 
*Henry,  Philip 
*Hillman,  William 

Holmes,  Nath'l  B.  1824 
♦Hirley,  James 
*Haight,  Nicholas 
*Heister,  Andrew  1826 

Hageman,  Daniel 

Halsey,  Luther 
*Halsey,  David 

Harsell,  William 
*Hopper,  Thomas  1827 

Hall,  Francis  1828 
*  Harriott,  James 

Howe,  John  M. 

Hale,  Thomas  1829 

Harrison,  Thomas 
*Hannah,  George 

Hopkins,  Pine  1829 

Hatfield,  Elias  1830 
*Hoe,  Robert 
♦Hagar,  William  1831 
*Haight,  John  G. 

Henderson,  Robert 
*Hoxie,  Joseph 
*Howe  Thomas 
*Hallsted,  Benjamin 

Haynes,  Henry 
*Harper,  James 

Hendricks,  Aaron  V.  1832 


*Hoyt,  Seymour 

Humbert,  Charles  H. 
*Harrison,  John 
♦Hartell,  Christian 

Higgins,  John,  Jr.  1833 
*Hill,  Joseph 

Hurlick,  Thomas  C. 

Hidden,  Enoch 

Harker,  Abel  1835 

Hoe,  Richard  M. 

Hogg,  George  1835 
*Hinton,  William  1837 

Humbert,  William  B. 
*  Hyatt,  John  W. 
*Harlow,  John 
♦Harriott,  Smith  1838 
*Hyde,  Zen  as 

Hall,  Archibald 
*Hillsburgh,  Charles 

Holmes,  Charles  M. 

Hurry,  William 

Howe,  James  L.  1839 

Harris,  John 

Haley,  Thomas  1840 
*Hall,  William 
♦Hall,  Adam  1841 

Howell,  Melzar 

Harkness,  James  1842 

Hoe,  Robert  1844 
♦Henry,  Robert  1846 

Hogg,  Peter 

How,,  John  W. 
♦Hutchinson,  Ira  1847 
♦Hoyt,  Azor  1848 
♦Hatfield,  Robert  G. 
♦Herring,  Silas  C. 
♦Hatfield,  Amos  F. 
♦Houghton,  Edwin 

Hall,  Charles 

Houghton,  Elijah 

Harrison,  George  1850 
♦Hughes,  Jasper  W. 

Hicks,  William  S.     185 i 

Hennion,  David  1852 

Hall,  James  F. 
♦Haring,  Abraham  1853 

Hardly,  James 


406 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


*Hoe,  James  C.  1854 
Hutton,  Andrew 
Hurlbut,  Henry  A. 
Howell,  John  S. 
Helme,  James  1855 
Huson,  Robert  1857 
Hay,  Allen 

Henry,  John  T.  1858 
Hoyt,  Mark  1859 
Hoagland,  John  E.  1862 

*Hawley,  Oscar  F.  1863 
Herbert,  Daniel 
Harris,  James 
Hoe,  Alfred  C.  1864 
Hathaway,  Fred  S.  1865 
Hewlett,  Joseph 
Hays,  John 

•Harrison,  Thomas 
Harrison,  Joseph  G. 
Hannah,  William  C. 
Heiden,  John 
Haggart,  James  1866 
Hendrix,  Isaac 
Howell,  Daniel  1867 
Hilyard,  George  D.  1868 

•Hidden,  Edward  S. 

•Heckman,  Charles 
Hoe,  Peter  S.  1870 
Hoe,  Stephen  S. 
Hamel,  James 
Herring,  Frank  O. 
Howell,  Henry  M.  1871 
Hall,  Charles  1872 
Hicks,  Benjamin  1873 
Hennessy,  Dennis  1874 
Heath,  J.  A.  1875 
Hand,  William  H. 
Haigh,  Hartley  1876 
Hyslop,  John  1877 
Harkinson,  Robert  1878 
Hull,  Samuel  G. 
Hay,  James  W. 
Hume,  Charles  E. 
Hayes,  George 
Haight,  Joseph  1880 
Harrison,  Michael 
Hamilton,  John  M.  1881 


Hepburn,  David 

*Ivers,  Thomas  1786 
•Ireland,  William  H.  1792 

•Irwin,  William  1794 

•Ireland,  George  1796 

•Isaacs,  Isaac  A.  1810 

•Ivers,  Beach  183 1 

Ivers,  Alfred  1838 

•Ingalls,  Henry  T.  1840 

Ingram,  James  1852 

Isaacs,  Gustavus  187  i 

•Jones,  Owen  1792 

•Judah,  Napthali  1796 

•James,  Thomas  1797 

•Jagger,  Jehiel  1801 

•Jarvis,  Timothy  1802 

•Jesup,  Benjamin  1803 
•James,  George 


•Jacobus,  Nicholas  A. 
•Johnson,  Benjamin  1810 
•Johnson,  John  P. 
•Johnson,  James  Q. 
•Jacobs,  Philip 
•Jarvis,  Noah  1817 
*Judd,  Samuel  1821 

Johnson,  John 

Jarvis,  James 

Johnson, Jonathan  K.  1822 
•Jones,  Anthony  W.  1824 
•Jacobus,  Cornelius  C. 

Jones,  Anthony 

Judson,  Amos 

Juel,  Joseph  1826 

Jones,  Robert 

Johnson,  Joel 
•Jones,  William 

Jones,  Henry  1828 

Jones,  William  1832 

Jacobs,  Angel        t  1834 

Jackson,  William  1836 
•Jackson,  Nathan  H. 
•Jeremiah,  Thomas  1837 

Jones,  Clement 
•Jacobus,  David  1839 

Jones,  James  M.  1841 
•Jessup,  Samuel  1844 
•Joyce,  Samuel  1846 


Johnson,  James  B. 
•Jackson,  George  R.  1847 

Jackson,  James  L.  • 
•Jamison,  Joseph  1848 

Johnson,  George 
•Johnstone,  James  1849 

Jennings,  William  T. 

Jeremiah,  George  A.  1850 

Joyce,  William 

Jarvis,  Jonathan  1851 

James,  Samuel  M.  1854 

Jacobus,  Nicholas 

Judson,  Benjamin  F.  1856 

Jackson,  William  H.  1859 

Jackson,  Peter  H.  1868 
•James,  John  H.  1870 

Jardine,  David 

Jackson,  George  H.  1875 

Jackson,  John  B. 

Johnson,  William  M.  1878 

Jeffers,  Joseph  1879 
•Kneeland,  Seth  R.  1791 
•Kumbel,  William  1792 
•Keyser,  Jacob 
•King,  William  M. 
•Kant,  Godfree 
•Ketch am,  William  1795 
•Kilborn,  Eben  C.  1796' 
•Kip,  Abraham 
•Kip,  Isaac,  Jr. 
•Knox,  George  1798 
*Knapp,  Benjamin  S.  1802 
•Kidney,  Richard 
•Kimball,  Joseph 
•Knapp,  Eli  1810 
•Kevan,  William 
•Kumbel,  William  1812 
•Kirk,  Thomas  1820 
•Knapp,  Shepherd  1821 
•Kain,  Francis 
•Kevan,  Samuel  1827 
•Kingsland,  Stephen*  1833 
•Knox,  Alexander  1837 

Katen,  Lewis  1838 
•Keyser,  John 
•Knapp,  Jeremiah  L.  1840 
•Kingsland,  Ambrose  C. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


Keen,  Joseph  1840 

King,  George  W.  1841 

Keyser,  John  1844 
Keeler,  Matthew 

*Kellogg,  Joseph  W.  1846 

Kipp,  Quinby  1847 

Kelly,  James  1848 

Kattenhorn,  Henry  1850 

♦Kennedy,  John  A. 

Kerr,  Thomas  1853 
Kirkman,  John 

Kydd,  Samuel  1854 

*King,  Adelmour  W.  1855 

Keilly,  Matthew  1859 
Kennedy,  De  Lancy 

Kennedy,  Thomas  1863 

Keyser,  John  1864 

Kitchen,  Geo.  H.  1865 

Kane,  Matthew  1866 
King,  C.  Volney 

Knox,  Alexander  1867 

Knox,  Charles  1870 

Klaber,  Simon  1871 

Kitson,  John  W.  1875 

Koos,  Gustavus  A.  1880 

*Lindsay,  George  1786 

*Le  Foy,  Thomas  1791 

*Lyons,  Joseph  1792 

•Little,  Eliezer 

*Lazalieur,  Abraham 

*Labagh,  Abraham 

*Leveridge,  John 

*Lockwood,  Philip 

*Lattimore,  Matth.  1795 

*Lorillard,  Jacob  1796 

♦Lynch,  Francis 

♦Lozier,  Nicholas  1798 

♦Lang,  John  1799 

*Labagh,  John  I. 

♦Lebrun,  Marin  1800 

♦Lathrop,  Joseph  1800 

♦Lorton,  Lewis  1801 

♦Lent,  James  W. 

♦Lawrence,  R.  P. 

♦Lownds,  Thomas  1802 

♦Leonard,  Jacob 

♦Lamaire,  John  1803 


♦Lawrence,  Silas 
♦Lamplin,  George  1804 
♦Lagear,  John 
♦Luff,  John  N.  1807 

Lyon,  David  18 10 

♦Lowber,  Michael 
♦Lazarus,  Eleazar  S. 
♦Ludlow,  Ezra 
♦Lorillard,  Peter      181  i 
♦Lee,  Gideon  1812 
*Lucas,  Isaac  1820 
♦Luqueer,  Francis  T.  1821 

Lowerre,  Benjamin 

Littell,  Hugh  1822 
♦Looker,  Benjamin 

Lawrence,  John  1823 

Lennon,  James 

Lord,  Joseph  N. 
♦Lowerre,  Sam'l  W.  1824 
♦Lozier,  John 

Logan,  Adam  1827 
♦Lockwood,  Andrew  1828 
♦Labagh,  Forsyth 

Lyons,  Richard        183  i 
♦Little,  Thomas  B. 
♦Lane,  John  1832 
♦Lawrence,  Alex.  1835 
♦Lee,  Daniel 
♦Lippincott,  Thomas 

Ludlow,  Matthias  1836 
♦Leake,  Hewlett  P.  1837 

Leonard,  Henry  1838 
♦Louderback,  David  1839 

Little,  Andrew  1839 
♦Ludwig,  Henry  1840 

Leggat,  William  •  1841 
♦Leupp,  Charles  M.  1842 

Lowe,  William 

Lowerre,  Geo.  W.  1843 

Lane,  Park  H.  1844 

Lintz,  William  1845 

Lovett,  Robert  1846 

Ludlum,  Nicholas 

Loveland,  Hanford  1847 

Lewis,  Isaac  1848 

Ladd,  William  F.  1849 
♦Little,  Edward  C. 


Libby,  James  S. 

Leask,  Henry  G.  185 1 

Logan,  Joseph  1852 

♦Litton,  James  1853 

♦Lauder,  James  1854 

♦Livesey,  Starkie  1855 

Laimreer,  Wm.,  Jr.  1856 

Longnecker,  Geo.W.  1859 

Lewis,  Charles  V.  1865 

Laimbeer,  John  1866 
Larrabee,  Henry  L. 

Le  Gallez,  P.  G.  1869 

Leonard,  Elijah  P.  1870 

♦Lester, Joseph  W.  1870 

Lloyd,  Robert  B.  1872 

Lowden,  Samuel  1873 

Livingston,  Levi  L.  1874 

Lithgow,  George  W.  1875 
Loutrel,  Cyrus  H. 

Lienau,  Detlif  1876 

Livingston,  Wm.  1877 
Lindsay,  William  A. 

Levy,  Samuel  1880 

♦M'Ready,  Dennis  1786 

♦Messerve,  George 

♦Man,  David 

♦M'Cullen,  James  1786 
♦Mills,  John 
♦M'Euen,  Malcom 

♦M'Comb,  John,  Jr.  1791 
♦Morris,  Andrew 
♦M'Dowel,  Robert 

♦Mini  ^e,  John  1792 


♦Ming,  Edward 
♦Maybie,  Frederick 
♦Miller,  John 
♦Miller,  William  G. 
♦M'Cready,  James,  Jr. 
♦M'Cready,  Andrew 
♦Moffit,  John 
♦Myers,  Sampson  A. 
♦Morris,  John 
♦Mapes,  Jonas 
♦Myers,  Hazel 
•Morris,  Jacob 
♦M'Kinney,  William 
♦Morrison,  Joseph 


4o8 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


•Mercein,  Andrew 
*Meeks,  Edward 
*montanye,  harman 
•Marschalk,  F.  A.  1793 
•M'Gowan,  John  1794 
M'Euen,  Duncan  1796 
* Morrell,  Andrew  1798 
'Mackenzie,  Kenneth 
•Manolt,  George  1799 
♦Marshall,  Joseph 
*Miller,  John  D.  1800 
•Meeks,  Joseph  1801 
*M'Cready,  Thomas 
*Morss,  John,  Jr. 
*M'Comb,  Isaac 
*Meads,  John 
*Mildeberger,  Chris.  1803 
*Minuse,  George 
•Merrell,  William 
•Munson,  Reuben  1803 
•M'Keen,  William,  Jr. 
*Mercein,  Thomas  R. 
*Mount,  Gilbert  S. 
•Mott,  William 
*Martinot,  Genest 
*Mills,  Timothy  1804 
•Mandeville,  William 
*Myer,  Lawrence 
•Morgan,  James 
*Minard,  Isaac  1805 
•Mix,  Nathan 
•Mesier,  Peter  A.  1810 
•M'Queen,  Robert 
•Murray,  Andrew 
•Maverick,  Samuel 
•Mott,  Jacob  C. 
•M'Dermut,  Robert 
•Morris,  John 
•Mann,  Asa 

•MlLDEBERGER,  JOHN 

•Melvin,  James  A. 
•Mabbatt,  Samuel 
•M'Lean,  Charles 
•Morris,  Sylvester 
•M'Ginnis,  Hugh 
•M'Cready,  George 
•M'Cready,  Benjamin 


•McCormick,  Hugh  181  i 
•Mott,  Jordan  1814 
•Mercein,  Wm.  A.  1820 
•Muir,  Alexander  M. 
•Maybie,  Abm.  P.  1821 
•Meinell,  James 
•Mather,  George 

Marsh,  Evert 
•M'Cartee,  Peter,  Jr. 
•Martin,  James  S. 
•Mount,  Richard  E. 
•Mount,  Timothy 

Moore,  James  A.  1822 
•Masterton,  Alexander 
•Megarey,  Henry  I. 

Mount,  Joseph 
•Mead,  Nathaniel 

Marsh,  Benjamin 
•Mapes,  Charles  1823 

M'Lean,  Cornelius 
•M'Kenney,  William 
*Murphy,  William  D. 
•Mason,  William  1824 
•Morrison,  John  Clitz 
•Miller,  William  H. 

M'Bride,  Abraham 

Mundy,  Edward  N.  1825 
•Miller,  Ebenezer  A.  1826 

Maginnis,  Edward  1827 
•Moore,  James  T. 

M'Dougall,  Allen 
•M'Cully,  Samuel  1828 

Macy,  Izaiah 
•Moore,  John  P. 

Mann,  Edward  P.  1830 
•Mapes,  James  J.  1831 
•Metcalf,  Charles 

Marshall,  Jonathan 

Madan,  Abraham 
•Matthews,  John  C.  1832 

Moffat,  John  L. 
•Martin,  Samuel  1833 
•Miner,  George  N.  1834 

Mumby,  Robert 
•Magwire,  George  1835 

Mercer,  Ambrose 
•Morris,  James  1836 


Mersereau,  John  W. 
•Moffat,  John 
•McBurney,  Alexander 

Miller,  William  P.  1837 

McBurney,  Thomas 

McKee,  Joseph  1837 
•Moses,  Lorenzo 

Mailler,  William  M. 

Maujer,  Daniel 

McCutchen,  William  M. 
•Mason,  John 

Moore,  William  1838 

M'Carty,  Alexander 
•Mott,  Jordan  L. 
•Morgan,  Enoch 
•McCutchen,  Hugh 
•McDonald,  R.  A.  1839 

Magill,  Andrew  W. 
•McCullough,  James 

Maxwell,  John  T.  B. 
•Mills,  Abner 

Maas,  Harman  1 84 1 

Myer,  John 

McNair,  William  1842 

Mackey,  William 

Munson,  James 

Marshall,  Robert 

Moore,  Michael,  Jr.  1843 
•McElrath,  Thomas  1844 

Metzgar,  Christian 
•Macvey,  Ammon  1845 
•Mills,  John 

Maycock,  Samuel 
•Mead,  Walter  1847 

Mather,  Andrew 

Mix,  Isaac,  Jr.  1849 

Morgans,  Morgan 

McDonald,  Alexander 

Morrison,  David  1850 
•Mason,  Charles  J. 
•Mason,  William 

Moller,  William  1851 
•Moller,  Peter 
•Mills,  Andrew 

Mealio,  Lewis 

Miller,  James  185 i 

♦M'Clellan,  Robert 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN 


•Meeks,  Joseph  W.  1852 
Merritt,  Edward 
Mangam,  Darius  R. 
Mills,  George 

*M'Clellan,  William  1854 
Miles,  William 

*M'Kenzie,  Alex.  1855 
Moore,  Henry,  Jr.  1858 
Morrison.  James  1859 
Morrison,  James  (2d) 
Murphy,  James 
McCollum,  John 
McGlensey,  John 
Miller,  William  C. 
Mount,  Joseph  E.  1861 
Muir,  James  1862 
Mackenzie,  Wash'n  1863 
Munroe,  William  O. 
Maurer,  Charles  L.  1865 
Mein,  Robert 
Masterton,  John  M. 
Murtaugh,  James 

•McAuliffe,  John 
McLaren,  John  1867 
Morgan,  John  W.  1868 
McReynolds,  Anth'y  1870 

•Mickens,  George  T. 
Moffitt,  John  M.       187  i 
Mowton,  Charles  C. 
McCullough,  Samuel 
Mackey,  Alexander  1872 
M'Alpin,  David  H.  1873 
McMaster,  James 
Mathewson,  Andrew  J. 
Mossman,  John  M.  1874 
Mark,  Jacob  1875 
McDonald,  Jos.  A.  1876 
McCormick,  Peter 
Masterton,  John  H.  1876 
Myers,  August  1877 
Mills,  Abner  B.  1878 
McKibben,  George 
McKenney,  James 
Miller,  Edward  1879 
Mark,  John  W. 
Maverick,  Brewster 
Mead,  Theodore  H.   188  i 


Moore,  John  F. 

Mackey,  Oscar  T. 

♦Norman,  John  1792 
•Nostrand,  Timothy 

*Newel,  Andrew  1793 

•Norris,  James  1796 

•Nicoll,  Alexander  18 10 

*Noah,  Mordecai  M.  182 1 

Nutt,  Joseph  1828 

♦Nichols,  Sillick  183 i 
♦Norwood,  John  L. 

•Naylor,  Peter  1834 

Nichols,  John  1837 

♦Nelson,  Richard  1839 

Nash,  James  1847 

*Nesbitt,  George  F.  1852 

Norris,  John  S.  1854 

Noble,  James 

Neeves,  James  1855 

•Nichol,  John  1861 

Nicholson,  John  1862 

*Nowlan,  Henry  H.  1866 

New,  Tobias 

Nichols,  John  H.  1871 

Nichols,  George  D. 

Nesbit,  Franklin  P.  1874 

Nason,  Alfred  1880 

•Ogilvie,  Anthony  1790 

*Odell,  Reuben  1796 

*Oakley,  James  1800 

*Ogden,  Joseph  1803 

*Ogden,  Benjamin  1803 

•Olmstead,  James  1820 

*Ockershausen,  A.  1821 

*Oatwell,  Joseph  1836 
♦Osborne,  Samuel 

Oliver,  Samuel 

*Oakley,  Robert  S.  1839 

Owen,  Ora  1845 

Oakley,  William  B.  1846 
•ockershausen,  a.  f. 

Odell,  Lawrence  1853 

•Ogden,  Moses  H.  1854 

Ogden,  Charles  R.  1855 

*Onderdonk,  Levi  1857 

•Oakley,  William  F.  1859 

O'Brien,  Peter  T.  1864 


•Ormiston,  Thomas  1865 
O'Brien,  William  S.  1874 
Oliver,  William  H.  1878 


•Pozer,  Jacob  1786 

♦Post,  Jotham  1789 

•Peck,  George  179 i 

•Patten,  John  1792 
•Post,  John 


•Peshine,  John 
•Post,  Joel 
•Pierson,  Josiah  G. 
•Pentz,  Frederick 
•Peterson,  William 
•Pirson,  Theophilus 
•Parker,  Michael 
•Pers,  William 
•Phyfe,  Duncan 
•Pell,  Jabesh 
•Provoost,  Robert  1793 
•Pryer,  Thomas  1796 
•Parker,  Jan 
•Parker,  William 
•Pancoast,  Solomon 
•Price,  Joseph  1800 
•Parker,  George  1801 
•Peterson,  Jacob  1802 
•Page,  Samuel  L.,  Jr. 
•Post,  John 
•Pittman,  George  W. 
•Purdy,  Samuel  H. 


•Pennell,  Hayes  1804 
•Powers,  George  1807 
•Piek  e,  William  1810 
•Plum,  Isaac 
•Parisen,  Philip 


•Patterson,  Alexander 
•Parkhurst,  Jabez 
♦Peck,  William  1814 
•Peckwell,  Francis  1820 
•Pardessus,  Rene 
•Pye,  William 
•Parker,  Miln  1821 
•Price,  Thompson 
•Pier,  Sylvester 
•Peckwell,  Henry  W.  1822 
•Provoost,  Robert,  Jr. 
•Peterson,  Garret  1824 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


4IO 

•Pancoast,  Stacy  1825 
♦Perego,  Ira 
•Parker,  John 

Phvfe,  James  1826 
•PHYFE,  John,  Jr. 

Pye,  Simeon 

Peckham,  Clark  1828 
•Pollard,  Calvin 
•Paulding,  George 

Peck,  William  H.  1829 

Priestly,  John  183  i 

Parsons,  Joseph 

Patten,  Richard  1832 
•Pollard,  Otis  1833 
•Phillips,  Nathaniel  R. 
•Parker,  Shivers 
•polhamus,  eldred 

Phillips,  James  1833 
•Peterson,  Richard  E. 
•Phyfe,  Robert  1834 
•Phyfe,  William  F. 

Phayre,  John 
•Palmer,  John  1835 

Peck,  John  B.  1836 
•Price,  George  J. 
•Pattison,  Robert  1837 
•Prichet,  Edward  K. 

Philips,  Samuel  1838 

Pearson,  William  C. 

Phillips,  Edward 

Platt,  Charles  T. 

Pettigrew,  John  1839 

Parker,  Samuel  1840 
•Purdy,  Emery 

Pitt,  Charles  1841 

Pinckney,  Thompson 

Post,  Samuel  L. 

Parr,  John  1842 

Paulson,  Leonard  1843 

Palen,  George  1845 
•Palen,  James 

Pierson,  Daniel  B.  1846 

Perine,  William  1847 

Patterson,  Ariel 
♦Price,  David  W. 

Perry,  Hiram  P. 

Place,  Robert  S.  1848 


Perley,  Charles  1849 
•Philbin,  Stephen  1850 
•Palmer,  William  T. 
Poillon,  Richard 
•Poillon,  Cornelius  C. 
•Parker,  Charles       185  i 
Pearson,  Samuel 
Price,  Joseph  M. 
Parker,  John  C.  1852 
Phelps,  William  1853 
Parker, Joseph  N.  1854 
Parker,  Andrew  J. 
Pell,  Abijah  1856 
*  Peterson,  William  T. 
Parry,  Henry  1863 
Pringle,  James  1864 
Parker,  Charles  R. 
Patterson,  Sam'l  P.  1865 
Power,  Patrick  H.  1866 
Peek,  Eben  1870 
Powell,  Robert  B.  1874 
Potter,  Charles  W.  1879 
Price,  Alfred  B. 
Quinn,  Joseph  P.  1859 
•Russel,  Abraham  1786 
•Resler,  Frederick  1790 
•Ruckel,  Daniel  1791 
*Read,  John  1792 
•Robertson,  John 
•Rollinson,  William 
•Ruckel,  Philip 
•Rutledge,  William 
•Ronalds,  James 
*Ravo,  Daniel 
•Roome,  William  P. 


•Riker,  James 

•Roome,  John  I.  1793 

•Rich,  Abraham  1794 
•Robins,  Ezekiel 

•Ruckel,  John  1795 

•Rutan,  Cornelius  1796 

•Rvans,  Thomas  1797 
•Randolph,  Lewis 

♦Randell,  John  1798 

•Roome,  Nicholas  1800 

•Reed,  Stephen  1802 

•Reed,  Matthews  1803 


•Ruckel,  Jasper 
•Repose,  John 
•Renney,  David 
•Riley,  Thomas  1804 
•Raynor,  David 
•Ruckel,  Jasper  E.  1805 
•Rich,  Thomas  L.  1810 
•Ronalds,  Thomas  A. 
•Rich,  Thomas 
•Richards,  Thomas 
•Ross,  William 
*Robinson,  John 
•Rodman,  John 
•Riley,  Joseph 
•Roe,  Gilbert 
•Rezeau,  Jacob  1812 
•Redmon,  Samuel  1820 

Ridgway,  Thomas  1821 

Rankin,  Montgomery 
•Rich,  Abraham  B. 

Rich,  Thomas,  Jr.  1822 

Reed,  Matthew 

Rikeman,  Cornelius 

Rogers,  John 
•Roome,  Samuel  1823 

Robinson,  James  1824 

Ring,  Zebedee 

Ruckel,  John,  Jr. 
•ResoEgine,  Wm.  D.  1825 

Robins,  William 

Robb,  Eliakim  1826 
•Riker,  John  I.  1827 
•Ridley,  John 
•Ruckel,  Samuel 
♦Riley,  Asher  1828 

Ross,  Azariah 

Ross,  Noah  B. 

Russell,  James  1829 

Redfield,  Wm.  C.  1830 
•  Rr.MU  k.  John 
♦Ricard,  George  1831 

Roberts,  Nathan  1832 
•Ringgold,  Benjamin 

Robertson,  William  1832 
♦Roe,  Sylvester  1833 
♦Rose,  Elihu  1834 

Ransom,  Jonathan  H.  1835 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


411 


Robins,  William 
Robertson,  Hy.  P.  1836 
Ruggles,  Robert  B. 
♦Robinson,  Jas.  A.  1837 
Ramee,  Victor  M. 
Ring,  Moses 
Ryerson,  John  B. 
Rohr,  John 

•Raymond,  Ezra  F.  1838 
Revere,  Edward  1839 
Ridabock,  Jacob  H. 

*Roome,  Peter 

*Rice,  Michael 
Raynor,  Hiram  1840 
Rogers,  James  E.  1841 

♦Redman,  Chas.  H. 
Raymond,  Lewis  1844 
Rockwell,  Sam'l  D.  1845 
Roberts,  Edward  J.  1847 

*Riker,  John  C. 
Robertson,  James  1848 
Raynor,  Nathan 

♦Roberts,  Robert 

•Rodman,  George  T.  1849 
Roome,  Martin  R.     185 1 

♦Roome,  John  L. 
Randall,  John  1852 

♦Rogers,  Ogden  M. 
Roux,  Alexandre  1853 
Rafferty,  William 

♦Ryerson,  Hy.  W.  1854 
Ross,  Alexander  M. 
Rowe,  John  W.  1856 

♦Rich,  Stephen  1857 
Robinson,  Edward  1859 
Riceman,  John  J.  1863 
Reid,  John  Wyatt  1864 
Richmond,  Edward  J. 
Ryan,  Michael  1866 

♦Rowell,  Warren  1867 
Roach,  John 

Raynor,  Samuel  1868 
Rowland,  William 
Rutter,  Robert 
Rowland,  Thomas  F.  1869 
Russell,  John  1871 
Rogers,  John  H.  1872 


Roome,  Charles  1873 
Rowe,  Anthony  O. 
Roach,  Garrett  1874 
Robinson,  Andrew  J.  1876 
Reton,  George  1877 
Robinson,  Geo.  H.  1878 

•Stagg,  John  1786 

♦Smith,  Gerardus 

•Stymets,  Frederick 

♦Stevenson,  Thomas  1789 

•Stanbury,  Daniel 

♦Striker,  John  1790 

♦Smith,  Stephen  1791 

•Simmons,  Anthony 

•Sherred,  Jacob 

•Speth,  George 

•Sebring,  Cornelius  B. 

•Stanton.  Geo.,  Jr.  1792 

♦Slidell,  John 

•Schanck,  Garret 

♦Shourt,  Oliver 

♦Steenbeck,  Anthony 

•St.  John,  Samuel 

•Skaats,  David 

•Smyth,  Thomas 

♦Skaats,  Rineir,  Jr. 

♦Stevens,  Ebenezer 

♦Sebring,  Peter  1793 

♦Stuart,  James  1794 
Slidell,  John.  Jr.  1794 

♦Sarles,  Edward 

♦Simmons,  Henry  1795 

•Sprainger,  Peter  R. 

♦Sullivan,  Benjamin  1796 

♦Schuyler,  Peter  C. 

•Skaats,  Barth'w  1797 

♦Smith,  Charles 

•Saunders,  Alex.  1798 

•Stephens,  John,  Jr.  1799 

•Sylvester,  Reuben  1800 

•Skaats,  Jacob 

♦Sharpe,  Peter 

♦Slidell,  Thomas  1801 

•Shanewolf,  Frederick 

•Shelburg, Joseph 

♦Slidell,  John  H.  1802 

•Slote,  Peter 


•Smith,  Thaddeus 
•Stephenson,  James 
•Sickels,  Garret  1803 
♦Sanford,  John 
♦Speir,  Robert 
•Smith, Joseph 
•Stephens,  Stephen 
•Sterling,  James 
•Sitcher,  Andrew 
•Stanton, Jasper 
•Scudder,  Asa 
•Sinclair,  George 
•Smith,  Frederic 
•Skellorn,  George  W.  1804 
•Stone,  Robert 
♦Smith,  John  B. 
♦Sage,  Harris 
♦Sickels,  William  1804 
♦Smith,  Daniel  D. 
•Seaman,  William  1805 
♦Sergeant,  Ezra  1810 
*Seymour,  Jonathan 
*Sturdevant,  Eliph't  1810 
♦Stratton,  Latham 
•Smith,  Edward 
♦Slack,  Richard  W. 
♦Stollenwerck,  L.  A. 
•Southwick,  Henry  C. 
•Stollenwerck,  James 
•Stephens,  Benjamin 
•Slawson,  Nathaniel 
•Sayre,  Nathan 
•Seixas,  Benjamin 
•Sherwood,  Isaac 
•Stokes,  Thomas 
•Sterling,  Robert 
•Spier,  James 
•Skaats,  Abraham      18 12 
•Smith,  George  B.  1813 

Snyder,  Peter  1820 
♦Sutphen,  John 
♦Smith,  Haziel 
•Smith,  James  1821 

Starr,  Charles 

Scudder,  David  B.  1822 

Stout,  John  W. 
•Smith, Jacob 


412 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


•Steen,  John 
♦Simpson,  Joseph  P. 
*Spies,  Henry 
*  Stout,  Jacob  B.  1823 

Slater,  George 
*Shipman,  William  B. 
*schureman,  nicholas 
*Southard,  Henry 

Smith,  John  M.  1824 

Sullivan,  Sylvester 
*Surre,  Andrew 
*Stuyvesant,  Peter 
*Sigison,  William 
•Sherry,  David 
♦Storms,  Henry  1825 
•Sibell,  John  F.  1826 

Smith,  Stephen 
•Smith,  George  E.  1827 

Stout,  Jonathan 

Spencer,  William  1828 

Smith,  Morgan  L.  1829 

Shepard,  John 
*Stoneall,  James  C.  1830 

Simonson,  John  1831 

Stewart,  Alexander 
"Sperling,  John  G. 
•Smith,  Robert  C. 
'Stevens,  Linus  W. 

Stanley,  Joseph  C. 

Swain,  James  P. 

Smith,  Michael 
'Sawin,  Silas  W. 

Scott,  James 

Smith,  Charles 
■  Schoals,  Francis  P.  1832 

Stevens,  Andrew 
"Stuart,  Alexander  1833 

Speir,  John 

Stuart,  Robert  L. 
'Skaden,  Joseph  C. 

Sumner,  Palmer  1834 
'Smith,  Robert  1835 
'Smith,  John  S. 
'Storms,  Peter 
•Simms,  Thomas 
'Stewart,  John 

Smith,  George 


•Smith,  Edwin 

•Smith,  Matthew  1836 

Smith,  Daniel  B. 

Southack,  John  W. 
•Spofford,  Paul  1837 
•scudder,  ephraim 

Sweet,  William  H. 

Stout,  Richard 
•Stacy,  Elbridge  G.  1837 

Struthers,  James 

Stratton,  Robert  M. 

somerville,  william 

Shortland,  Thomas 

Smith,  John  1838 
•schmelzel,  george  j. 

Simonson,  Cornelius 

Seely,  Peter  1839 

Stubbs,  Samuel  N. 

Sinclair,  John 
•Scatcherd,  Frederick  S. 
•Sands,  Daniel  H. 

Suydam,  James  H.  1840 

Sturdivant,  William 

Smith,  Isaac  P.  1841 
•Scott,  William 
•Shaw,  Anthony  P. 

Smith,  Charles  W. 

Simonson,  Isaac 
•Simons,  Louis  1842 
•Smith,  Ezra 

Smith,  James  R.  1845 
*Smith,  Washington 

Smith,  Thomas  C.  1846 

Stodart,  Adam 

Staats,  John 

Smith,  John  M.  S. 

Sneckner,  John 

Searles,  Hamilton  R. 

Simonson,  Jeremiah 

Sneeden,  Samuel  1847 

Syms,  William  J. 

Sands,  Alfred  B. 
•Smith,  John  F.  1848 

Stephens,  James 
•Schultz,  Alexander  H. 

Shiels,  Robert  1849 

Small,  Wilson 


•Scudder,  Linus 
Smith,  George  G.  1849 
Stephens,  Cornelius 
Simpson,  Andrew  1850 
Short,  John 

Smith,  Merrit  185 i 

Sears,  Herman  B. 

Stratton,  Enoch 
•Smith,  Sheldon  1852 

Smith,  J.  Marston 

Schoonmaker,  Samuel 

Sigler,  Horace  V. 

Sutherland,  James  1853 
•Stewart,  James  1854 

Snook,  John  B. 

Sneden,  Samuel 

Stearns,  John  G. 

Semon,  John  G.  1855 
•Stewart,  Wm.  R.  1856 

Sproulls,  Samuel  E. 

Stewart,  John     t  1857 

Sherwood,  William  1859 

Smith,  Havilah  M. 

Stetson,  Thomas  D.  i860 

Sniffin,  John  1862 

Slote,  Daniel  1863 

Sniffin,  Elisha  1864 

Slote,  Henry  L. 

Steinway,  Albert  1865 

Stults,  John  Van  Ness 

Smith,  Edward  1866 

Smith,  William  1867 

Schneider,  Henry 

Smith, Joseph 

Sperry,  John 
•Smith,  Wesley  1868 

Steers,  Henry 
•Shand,  Peter 

Smith,  Lucius  A.  1870 

Sidman,  John  E. 

Smull,  Thomas  L.  187  i 
•Smith,  Edmund  A.  1871 

Spear,  Alfred  W. 

Smith,  William  C. 

Sinclair,  John  1872 

Scoble,  Henry  M. 

Shaler,  Alexander  1873 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


413 


See,  Amos  L.  1874 
Starr,  Ira  1875 
Slade,  William  G.  1876 
Shortland,  Stephen  F. 
Swayne,  Joseph  W.  1877 
Sharpe,  James  1878 
Salters,  John  W. 
Sommerville,  James 
Scott,  John 

Seaman,  Selah  D.      188  i 
*Tylee,  James  1786 
♦Teller,  James  1791 
♦Turk,  Ahasuerus 
*Timpson,  Thomas 
*Tooker,  Daniel  1792 
*Timpson,  Cornelius 
♦Turk,  Ahasuerus,  Jr. 
*Torboss,  Isaac 
*Tant,  Thomas  1793 
*Tremper,  Michael  1800 
*Tallman,  Harmanus 
♦Turner,  John  1801 
♦Taylor,  Thomas  1802 
*Tute,  Joseph 
♦Tylee,  Edward 
•Train,  Daniel  N.  1803 
♦Turcot,  Peter  D. 
♦Tylee,  Benjamin 
♦Towsend,  Silvanus  S. 
♦Thompson,  G.,  Jr. 
♦Thorn,  Isaac 
♦Tilton,  William       18 10 
♦Thompson,  Samuel 
♦Turner,  William 
♦Taylor,  Oliver  H.  1810 
♦Thorp,  John  B. 
♦Taylor,  Jeremiah  B. 
♦Tonnele,  John 
♦Thomas,  Thomas 

Thomson,  Samuel  18 19 
♦Tucker,  Gideon  1820 

Tait,  John 

Timpson,  Thomas,  Jr.  182 1 
♦Truss,  Christian  1822 
♦Thompson,  Martin  E. 
♦Trulock,  Joseph 
♦Thomas,  Elias  1823 


Tappen,  Charles  B.  1824 
♦Teller,  James 

Ten  Eyck,  Richard 
♦Totten,  John  C. 
♦Torboss;  Luke 
♦Turnier,  Daniel 
♦Thorne,  Thomas  W.  1825 
♦Tebbetts,  John  G. 
♦Thorp,  George  B.  1827 
♦Thorn,  Abia  B. 
♦Timpson,  Charles  W. 

Thompson,  John 
♦Tillotson,  Gardiner  1828 

Turnbull,  Adam  W. 

Towt,  John  W.  1830 
♦Tucker,  John  C. 
♦Trotter,  Jonathan 
♦Tylee,  Daniel  E. 
♦Townsend,  Robt.,  Jr.  1 83 1 

Taylor,  James 
♦Tallman, John 
♦Taylor,  Charles 
*Tucker,  Joseph 

Tuers,  Richard  1832 

Tuthill,  William  1833 
♦Torboss,  John  V.  1834 
♦Tappen,  George,  Jr. 
♦Tucker,  William  1835 

Treadwell,  F.  C.  1836 

Thompson,  John 
♦Titus,  Henry  W. 
♦Tait,  John,  Jr. 

Thomas,  Cornelius  W. 

Thomas,  Augustus  , 

Tallman,  George  D. 
♦Tileston,  Thomas  1837 

Tilyou,  John  V. 

Thorne,  Jonathan 
♦Taylor,  Joseph  R.  1838 

Thresher,  Minard  S. 

Tompkins,  T.  1839 

Thomes,  John 
♦Turnure,  Abraham  1841 

Thompson,  Major  1842 
♦Trickey,  Samuel 
♦Thompson,  Abm.  G.  1843 

Trench, Joseph 


Thurston,  Henry  1846 

♦Tryon,  Edmund  W.  1848 
Trussell,  Richard 
Treadwell,  Henry  R. 
Taff,  Henry  1849 

♦Taylor,  Robert 
Taft,  John  H.  1850 

♦Tucker,  Moses 

*Thum,  Richard  185  i 
Thorn,  L.  Mortimer  1852 

♦Tribit,  Samuel  1853 
Taylor,  John  1854 
Tomson,  Samuel  1855 
Taff,  David  J.  1S56 
Tate,  Isaac  E.  1S57 
Taylor,  Francis  1859 

♦Taylor,  Lawrence  1863 
Treadwell,  John  R. 

♦Taylor,  Henry  F.  1864 
Theall,  Horace  1866 
Taylor,  James  R.  1866 
Thompson,  Charles  F. 
Tucker,  John  J.  1868 
Taylor,  James 
Thompson,  John 
Tripler,  Thomas  E.  1870 
Taylor,  Richard  1872 
Thrall,  William  H.  1874 
Tucker,  Stephen  D.  1876 
Tucker,  Francis  C.  1880 

*Utt,  John  1791 

♦Underhill,  Peter  1810 
Und  rhill,  Alpheus  1863 

♦Van  Dyck,  James  1791 

♦Van  Voorhis,  Daniel  1792 

♦Valentine,  Matthias 

♦Van  Dervoort,  Paul 

♦Vincent,  William 

*Van  Antwerp,  D. 

*Van  Duyne,  James  1793 

♦Vallence,  Isaiah 

♦Van  Gelder,  A. 

♦Van  Dyck,  Isaac  1794 

♦Vanderhoof,  P.,  Jr. 

♦Van  Wagenen,  J.,  Jr.  1796 

♦Valleau,  Peter 

*Van  Winkle,  Jacob  1800 


4H 


GENERAL     SOCIETY  OF 


•Van  Kleeck,  John  L.  1802 
•Van  Nest,  Abraham  1803 
•Varian,  Jacob 
♦Vanderburgh,  Robert 
•VanDervoort,  Jacob  1804 
•Vreeland,  John  1810 
•Vail,  William 
♦Vandewater,  William 
•Van  Nest,  George     182 1 
•Voorhis,  John  1822 
•Van  Pelt,  Peter  1824 
Van  Zandt,  Garret  1827 
Van  Boskerck,  Abraham 
•Van  De  Water.  V.  1827 
Van  Boskerck,  John 
•Van  Norden,  James  1828 
•Vanderpool,  Robert 
•Van  Norden,  Wm.  1835 
Vandenbergh.  James 
•Van  Brunt,  Elisha  1836 
•Veitch,  Andrew  1837 
vandervoort,  david  1 839 
Van  Voorhies,  Isaac  1842 
•Valentine,  Rich'dC.  1845 
♦Voorhies,  Robert  C.  1849 
•Voorhis,  Abraham  1850 
Voorhis,  John  R.  i860 
Van  Nostrand,  G.  1863 
Veitch.  Thomas  1864 
Vanvelsor,  Alonzo  1865 
Vanderbilt,  W.  W.  1868 
Van  Idersty.\e,P.,  Jr.  1870 
Vaughan,  E.  S.  1875 
Van  Tine,  Thomas  H.  1879 
VanHouten,Erskine  1881 
•Warner,  George  1786 
♦Watkeys,  Edward  1787 
•Wright,  William  1790 
•Warner,  James  1791 
•Wright,  Andrew  1792 
•Warner,  Charles 
♦Wright,  Samuel 
♦Wood,  Jeremiah 
•Wade,  Edward 
♦Weeks,  William 
♦Whitfield,  Henry 
♦Waldron,  John 


♦Wright,  Augustus 
•Wendover,  William 
•Wood,  William 
♦West,  Matthew 
•Wendover,  Peter  H. 
♦Wilmurt,  John  I. 
•Wood,  Timothy  1792 
♦Watkins,  Joseph  1793 
•Willet,  James 
•White,  Michael 
♦White,  Thomas  1795 
♦West,  John  1796 
•Warner,  George  James 
•Whitehead,  William  1797 
•Weeks,  Ezra 
♦Whaites,  Archibald 
♦Williams,  Thomas  1798 
•Waldron,William  I.  1799 
•Warner,  Elijah 
•Westfield,  John 
•Wilson,  William 
♦Warner,  Everardus 
•West,  John  1800 
♦Westerfield,  John  1801 
♦Woodward,  John 
♦Wentworth,  Joseph  1S02 
•Wood,  James 
•Weeden,  Jonathan 
•Warts,  Henry 
•Winans,  Isaac  P. 
♦wooley,  gerardus  1803 
•Walker,  John 
•Wayland,  Seth 
•Weyman,  William 
♦Whitfield,  George 
♦Wheeler,  John 
♦Williams,  Elam 
♦Wenman,  Evert 
♦Watson,  Benjamin  1804 
♦Wood,  Abner  1805 
♦White,  Christian  1806 
♦Williams,  David  R.  1807 
♦Welling,  William  1810 
Waldron,  John  V. 
♦Watts,  Charles  1810 
♦Waite,  George  N. 
♦Warner,  Leonard  1810 


•Wiley,  Alexander  T. 
♦Wiley,  Thomas 
*Waterbury,  Henry 
♦Wallace,  James 
♦Wright,  John 
♦Waite,  Robert 
♦Warner,  Jeremiah 
♦Woodruff,  Thomas  T. 

Warner,  Cornelius 
•Wunnenberg,  Francis 
•Warner,  Abraham     182  i 
•Woolcocks,  Thomas 
♦Whitemore,  John  1822 
•Waldron,  Benjamin  A. 
•Willcocks,  Lewis 
•Webb,  Isaac  1823 
•Worrall,  Henry 

Waldron,  Victor  B. 

Wardell,  Jacob 

Ward,  Henry 
•Wright,  Richard 

Williams,  John  H.  1824 

Walworth,  Thomas  P. 
♦Wenman,  Uzziah 

Wilson,  James 

Wendover,  William  H. 

Wheeler,  William  F. 
♦Wilson,  Robert  G. 

Waldron,  John  D.  1825 
♦Westerfield,  William 

Ware,  Daniel 
♦Woram,  William 
♦Whaley,  Thomas  1827 
•Watson,  Thomas  L. 

Westervelt,  James 
•Wemmell,  Peter 
•Weeks,  John  A.  1828 
•Warner,  Samuel  B. 
•Wells,  James  N.  1828 

Willis,  William  1828 

Wilmarth,  Phil.  C.  1829 
•Wetsell,  George  1830 

Ward,  Uzal  P.  183 1 

Wood,  Thomas  R. 
•Wines,  Salem 

West,  Joseph 
♦Westervelt.  Jacob  A. 


MECHANICS     AND  TRADESMEN. 


415 


•Waydell,  John 
•Waters,  Charles  1832 
•Whitney,  Samuel 

*WlNESHIP,  EBENEZER 

*woodruff,  philetus  h. 
♦Woodward,  Wash'n  1833 
* Winant,  Richard  B. 
*Winant,  Daniel  M. 
•West,  Daniel 

Wright,  Finley  1835 

WebBj  James 
*Whitehead,  Isaac  P. 
* Willett,  Jonathan 
•Walker,  Robert 

Wyckoff,  John  N. 

Welsh,  Alexander 

W atkins,  James  Y.  1S36 

Wilson,  John 
•Williams,  Thomas 
•Winterton,  William 

Wilson,  William  1837 
•Walter,  James  R. 

Winant,  Samuel 

Webb,  Samuel  1838 
•Ward,  Sylvanus  S. 
•Wallace,  Thomas 

Wilson,  James  S. 

Wilmarth,  William  M. 

Wheelock,  Charles 
•Williams,  Frederick  W. 

Walton,  Elisha  L.  1839 

Woodruff,  Amos 

Weeks,  Abraham  1839 

Whitlock,  Andrew 
*  Walker,  David 
•wotherspoon,  james 
•Worrall,  Noah 
•Wight,  John  1840 

Way,  Thomas  P. 


•West,  Stephen  W. 
•Woodruff,  Oliver 

Watson,  William  A.  184 1 

Webb,  William  H. 

Whigam,  John  S. 
•Walker,  Edward  1842 

White,  John  T.  1843 
•Waugh,  James  L.  1844 
•Williams,  Samuel  T. 

Wickham,  D.  H.  1845 

Webb,  John  B.  1846 

Walton,  Isaac  1847 

Westerfield,  William 

Wood,  Jacob  1848 

Woolley,  James 

Wr atkins,  John  L.  1849 

Westervelt,  A.  J.  1850 

Westervelt,  Daniel  D. 
•Ward,  James  B. 

Williamson,  John 
•Walker,  William  A.  185 1 

Wright,  George  W. 
•Wright,  James 

Waller,  Josiah  A.  1852 
•Worcester,  Horatio 

Wright,  John 

West,  William  1852 

Winans,  Henry  H.  1853 
•Worley,  Nathan 
•Warts,  Peter  B. 
*  Wells,  James  N.,  Jr.  1854 

Worrall,  Wade  B. 

Webb,  George 

Wellstood,  John  G.  1855 
•Windt,  John  1856 

Wilmurt,  Thomas  A. 

Waydell,  John  H. 

Wight,  Franklin  1859 

Wilson,  Henry 


Whitlock,  Charles  1861 
Walker,  David  1864 
Warden,  Jacob  S. 
Wescott,  Charles  S.  1865 
•White,  Glover  M. 
Warner,  Henry  R. 
Wright,  Daniel  D. 
Watson,  George  D.  1867 
Wilson,  Peter  M. 
Wilson,  Henry  1869 
•Waydell,  William  A. 
Webb,  Edward  D.  1870 
Wilson,  John  1871 
Wotherspoon,  Henry  H. 
Wandell,  John  C. 
White,  N.  Glover  1872 
Walker,  George  W.  1873 
Whitefield,  George 
Woodruff,  Val.  S.  1877 
Wright,  Stephen  1878 
Welch,  Peter  A.  1879 
Whitelegge,  James  H. 
Warren,  Edmund  A.  188 1 
•Yonge,  John  1801 
•Youle,  George  1803 
•Young,  Stephen  B.  1810 
•Young,  Stephen 
Young,  Peter  181 2 

•Young,  Paoli  1822 
•Young,  Evert  B.  1829 
Young,  George  1831 
Yout  e,  Adam  W.        183  i 
•Youle,  George  W.  1837 
•Young,  William  W.  1839 
Youngs,  David  L.  1845 
Youngs,  Joshua  1868 
Yung,  Frederick  1869 
Yost,  Charles  A.  1873 


416 


GENERAL  SOCIETY. 


LIST  OF  PRESIDENTS  FROM  THE  COMMENCEMENT  OF  THE  SOCIETY 

TO  1881. 


CHAIRMEN. 

1785  *Robert  Boyd. 

1786  "Robert  Boyd. 

1787  "John  Campbell. 

1788  *John  Campbell. 

1789  *  Anthony  Post. 

1790  *John  Stagg. 

1 79 1  *Jotham  Post. 

PRESIDENTS. 

1792  *Robert  Boyd. 

1793  *  Anthony  Post. 

1794  *john  stagg. 

1795  "Gabriel  Furman. 

1796  *Jacob  Sherred. 

1797  *Seabury  Champlin. 

1798  *James  Tylee. 

1799  *P.  H.  Wendover. 

1800  *Daniel  Hitchcock. 

1801  *Jacob  Sherred. 

1802  "Abraham  Labagh. 

1803  *James  Warner. 

1804  *John  Slidell. 

1805  "Francis  Cooper. 

1806  "Augustus  Wright. 

1807  "William  G.  Miller. 

1808  "Alex.  Campbell. 

1809  "Stephen  Allen. 

1810  "George  Ireland. 

181 1  *John  I.  Labagh. 

1812  "Jacob  Lorillard. 

1813  "Peter  Sharpe. 

1 8 14  "Jonas  Mapes. 


815  "Abraham  Van  Nest. 

816  "Thomas  Taylor. 

817  "Joseph  Smith. 

818  "John  McComb. 

819  "P.  H.  Wendover. 

820  "Gideon  Lee. 

821  *Elam  Williams. 

822  *Wm.  Mandeville. 

823  "John  W.  Hinton. 

824  "John  Lang. 

825  *john  sutphen. 

826  "Thomas  Richards. 

827  "Thomas  R.  Mercein. 

828  "Richard  E.  Mount. 

829  "Andrew  Sitcher. 

830  "Stephen  B.  Young. 

831  "Brigham  Howe. 

832  "Benjamin  De  Milt. 

833  "Philip  Henry. 

S34  "Edwin  B.  Clayton. 

835  *Adoniram  Chandler 

836  "Thos.  Const antine. 
[837  "Shepherd  Knapp. 

838  "Anson  Baker. 

839  "Cornel's  C.  Jacobus. 

840  *E.  D.  Comstock. 

841  "Samuel  Roome. 

842  "Linus  W.  Stevens. 
1843  "James  Van  Norden. 
[844  "Shivers  Parker. 
[845  "J.  A.  Westervelt. 

1846  *T.  C.  Chardavoyne. 

1847  "John  P.  Moore. 
[848   James  Phyfe. 


849  "Frs.  W.  Edmonds. 

850  "Sylvanus  S.  Ward. 

851  "Isaac  Fryer. 

852  "Henry  T.  Ingalls. 

853  John  T.  B.  Maxwell. 

854  "Thomas  Jeremiah. 

855  "James  Morris. 

856  "Charles  M.  Leupp. 

857  Thomas  Earle. 

858  "Ira  Hutchinson. 

859  "Geo.  W.  Farnham. 

860  "John  A.  Bunting. 
•Thomas  Jeremiah. 

861  "John  Wight. 

862  "Noah  Worrall. 

863  Matth's  Bloodgood. 

864  *George  R.  Jackson. 

865  "George  F.  Nesbitt. 

866  "John  T.  Conover. 

867  Wade  B.  Worrall. 

868  Wilson  Small. 

869  C.  H.  Delamater. 

870  *A.  F.  OCKERSHAUSEN. 

871  "George  J.  Byrd. 

872  James  J.  Burnet. 

873  Henry  Wilson. 

[874  William  H.  Gedney. 

875  Wm.  Otis  Munroe. 

876  Havilah  M.  Smith. 

877  Edwin  Dobbs. 
1878  Henry  L.  Slote. 
[879  John  R.  Voorhis. 
[880  Alexander  Gaw. 
1881  John  Banta. 


INDEX. 


Abbott,  J.  S.  C,  lecture  by,  124. 
Adams,  William,  lecture  by,  118,  136. 
Agassiz,  Louis,  lecture  by,  116. 
American  ensign  first  exhibited,  32. 
American  industry,  attention  of  the  Society 

first  directed  to,  12. 
Anderson,  T.  D.,  lecture  by,  144. 
Anticell,  lecture  by,  116. 
Aorson,  Aaron,  dinner  at  his  tavern,  18. 
Armitage,  Rev.  Dr.,  lecture  by,  142. 
Armitage,  William  E.,  Society's  scholar  in 

Columbia  College,  107. 
Arrington,  A.  A.,  lecture  by,  109. 

Bank  charter,  proposition  for,  49;  organiza- 
tion of  bank,  50 ;  banking  in  New-York, 
51;  sale  of  Society's  shares  in  1813,  56; 
value  of,  93. 

Barber,  Professor,  lecture  by,  93. 

Bartlett  and  Welford,  donation  to  library, 
104. 

Bean,  Miss  Mary  Y.,  proposal  of,  135. 
Bedford,  Dr.,  lecture  by,  109. 
Beecher,  Henry  Ward,  lecture  by,  119,  136. 
Bellows,  H.  W.,  lecture  by,  133. 
Benjamin,  Park,  lectures  by,  120,  124,  136. 
Bethune,  Rev.  D.,  lecture  by,  116,  124,  136. 
Bloodgood,  Matthias,  inaugural  address  of,  343. 
Boyd,  G.  W.,  lecture  by,  136. 


Boyd,  Robert,  Chairman  of  the  General  Com- 
mittee, 9. 

Brace,  C.  L.,  lecture  by,  124. 

Bragg,  Isaac,  resignation  of,  106. 

Broadway  property,  purchase  of,  108. 

Brooklyn  Association  of  Mechanics  and  Trad- 
ers, donation  to,  181. 

Browning,  John  A.,  scholar  in  Columbia  Col- 
lege, 175. 

Bunting,  John  A.,  death  of,  138. 

By-laws  and  ordinance,  231,  243. 

By-laws  of  1798,  231. 

By-laws  of  1866,  243. 

By-laws  of  188 1,  387. 

Cardin's  tavern,  dinner  at,  28. 

Certificate  of  membership,  first,  11. 

Chandler,  C.  F.,  lecture  by,  172. 

Chapin,  E.  H.,  lecture  by,  120,  149,  165,  167. 

Charter,  amended,  1833,  85. 

Charter,  first,  of  the  Society,  22. 

Charter  of  181 1,  381. 

Clarke,  F.  M.,  lecture  by,  144,  149. 

Classical  Department  established  in  school, 

US- 
Columbia.  College,  communication  from,  197 ; 

withdraws  scholarships,  221. 
Committee,  Literary  and  Scientific,  provided 

for,  91. 


4i8 


INDEX. 


Conklin,  lecture  by,  165. 

Conover,  John  T.,  inaugural  address  of,  346. 

Cordova,  De,  T.,  lecture  by,  184,  196. 

Comings,  Rev.  Dr.,  lecture  by,  139. 

Cox,  S.  S.,  lecture  by,  172. 

Cozzens,  Frederick  S.,  lecture  by,  143. 

Crosby  street  property  purchased,  83. 

Curtis,  George  W.,  lecture  by,  167,  176,  181. 

Davis,  Matthew  L.,  oration  by,  30. 
Deems,  Charles  F.,  lecture  by,  181. 
Delamater,  Cornelius  H.,  inaugural  address 
of,  352. 

De  Milt,  Benjamin,  bequest  of  his  library,  107, 

186,  188. 
De  Milt,  Misses,  bequests  of,  117. 
Dewey,  Orville,  lectures  by,  98. 
Dinner  of  the  Society  in  1789,  14. 
Dobbs,  Edwin,  inaugural  address  of,  364. 
Doremus,  R.  O.,  lectures  by,  120. 
Du  Chaillu,  P.,  lecture  by,  167. 
Duncan,  Charles,  lectures  by,  98. 
Dunken,  Mr.,  lecture  by,  93. 
Dutcher,  J.  C,  lectures  by,  139,  150,  156. 

Earle,  Thomas,  inaugural  address  of,  317. 
Education,  measures  taken  to  promote,  56. 
Evarts,  William  M.,  address  of,  143. 
Ewer,  Rev.  F.  C,  lecture  by,  142,  156, 162, 165. 

Fiction  in  the  library,  action  on,  74. 

First  New- York  Volunteers,  reception  of,  155. 

Flags  presented  to  Engineer  Regiment,  142, 

151,  157,  286. 
Foss,  H.  I.,  lecture  by,  149. 
Fourth  of  July  observed  by  the  Society,  30. 
Franklin,  Benjamin,  death  of,  32. 

Gallaher,  H.  M.,  lecture  by,  196. 

Gaw,  Alexander,  inaugural  address  of,  376. 

Geclney,  William  H.,  inaugural  address  of,  360. 

General  Society,  petition  to  the  Legislature 
for  incorporation,  16;  correspondence  with 
affiliated  societies,  17;  incorporation,  22; 
declines  political  cooperation,  29;  determines 
a  plan  for  purchasing  real  estate,  29;  pur- 
chases land  of  Mr.  Bancker,  31 ;  delinquency 
of  members  in  monthly  payments,  35  ;  new 


era  of  prosperity,  59  ;  qualification  for  mem- 
bership, 69. 
Gerard,  I.  W.,  lecture  by,  139,  141,  142,  144, 
150. 

Gilmore,  J.  R.,  lecture  by,  156. 
Glidon,  W.  R.,  lectures  by,  109. 
Godwin,  M.,  engraves  first  certificate  of  mem- 
bership, 1 1. 
Gough,  John  B.,  lectures  by,  162,  167,  181. 
Greeley,  Horace,  lectures  by,  119. 
Griscom,  John,  lectures  by,  98. 

Hagany,  I.  B.,  lecture  by,  136. 
Hale,  lecture  by,  124. 
Hall,  A.  Oakey,  lectures  by,  136. 
Hall,  Gen.  James  F.,  letter  from,  153. 
Hall,  new,  on  E.  16th  St.,  201  ;  dedication  of, 
208. 

Hare,  G.  S.,  lectures  by,  139,  142. 

Harte,  Bret,  lecture  by,  184. 

Harvey,  Mr.,  lectures  by,  93. 

Hatfield,  Amos  F.,  donation  of,  168. 

Hewlett,  S.  M.,  lectures  by,  156,  162. 

Hicks,  W.  W.,  lecture  by,  156. 

Holland,  Dr.  J.  G.,  lectures  by,  139,  142,  150. 

Iloxie,  Hon.  Joseph,  143. 

Humane  Society,  cooperation  with,  49. 

Hutchinson,  Ira,  inaugural  address,  322. 

Incorporators  of  the  Society,  22. 
Indigent,  overseers  of,  first  appointed,  17. 

Jackson,  Francis  D.,  scholar  in  Columbia  Col- 
lege, 197. 

Jackson,  George  R.,  inaugural  address  of,  344. 
Jeremiah,  Thomas,  proposes  sinking  fund, 
173  ;  death  of,  181. 

Kecse,  John,  lectures  by,  98. 

King,  Charles,  lecture  by,  119. 

King,  T."  Starr,  lectures  by,  118,  120,  124, 

I33>  !36- 
Knapp,  Col.,  lectures  by,  93. 

Land  litigation  adjusted,  76. 

Land,  negotiation  for  purchase  of,  40. 

Lasscll,  Prof.,  lectures  by,  118. 


INDEX. 


419 


Library  Committee  first  appointed,  59  ;  estab- 
lishment of  library,  60  ;  its  want  of  progress, 
105. 

Library,  opened  daily,  124. 
Liquor,  paying  for,  21. 
Litigation,  measures  to  prevent,  18. 
Little,  Michael,  hall  leased  to,  45. 
Livingstone,  Edward,  letter  from,  44. 
Lord,  John,  lectures  by,  118. 
Lorillard,  Peter,  bequest  of,  161. 
Lottery,  adventure  of  the  Society  in,  18. 

"  Mechanics  and  Tradesmen,"  meaning  of 

phrase,  186. 
Mechanics'  Bank,  charter  of,  125. 
Mechanics,  General  Committee  of,  9 ;  first 

meeting,  9. 

Mechanics'  Hall,  plans  for  building,  41  ;  dedi- 
cation of,  42  ;  cost  of,  45  ;  lease  to  A.  Mar- 
celline,  49. 

Mechanics'  Institute  of  New- York,  105. 

Members,  list  of,  1798,  236. 

Members,  list  of,  1881,  398. 

Milburn,  W.  H.,  lecture  by,  141. 

Miller,  William  G.,  dispute  with,  adjusted,  82. 

Mingins,  G.  J.,  lecture  by,  176,  181. 

Mitchell,  David,  lecture  by,  176. 

Mitchell,  Prof.,  lectures  by,  119,  136. 

Moore,  J.  P.,  inaugural  address  of,  317. 

Munroe,  Wm.  Oris,  inaugural  address  of,  361. 

Murdock,  James,  lecture  by,  176,  181. 

New-York  in  1783,  8. 
New- York  University,  scholarship  in,  100. 
Noah,  Mordecai  M.,  address  by,  68  ;  lectures 
by,  93,  116. 

Ockershausen,  Adolphus  F.,  inaugural  address 
of,  357- 

Ormiston,  William,  lecture  by,  184. 
Osgood,  Samuel,  lecture  by,  120. 

Park  Place  property,  purchase  of,  28. 
Park  Place  property,  sale  of,  137 ;  sale  an- 
nulled, 137. 
Paton,  Mr.,  teacher  of  drawing,  136. 
Pendleton,  W.  H.,  lecture  by,  139. 
Pensioners  of  the  Society,  164. 


Phillips,  Wendell,  lectures  by,  165,  172. 
Pierpont,  John,  lecture  by,  1 19. 
Pipes,  not  to  be  smoked  at  the  early  meet- 
ings, 10. 

Plummer,  Rev.  Dr.,  lecture  by,  139. 

Poillon,  R.  and  E.  C,  presentation  by,  168. 

Potter,  H.  C,  lecture  by,  196. 

Priestley,  Rev.  James,  lecture  by,  156. 

Providence  Society  of  Mechanics  and  Manu- 
facturers, 27. 

Provost,  Robert,  first  elected  collector,  57  ; 
death  of,  1 19. 

Raymond,  H.  J.,  lecture  by,  120. 
Reading-room,  opening  of,  161. 
Reed,  Prof.,  lecture  by,  124. 
Regimental  colors,  153. 
Renwick,  Prof,  lecture  by,  92. 
Richards,  W.  C,  lectures  by,  184,  196. 
Roberts,  Charles,  lecture  by,  196. 

Schenck,  Noah  D.,  lecture  by,  172. 

School  and  library  building,  erected,  67  ;  cere- 
monies at  the  opening  of  the  new  building, 
68. 

School,  deficit  in  revenue  of,  133. 

School  for  girls,  separate,  established,  72. 

School,  measures  for  establishment  of,  65. 

Schroeder,  J.  F.,  lecture  by,  119. 

Sedgwick,  Theo.,  lectures  by,  136,  184. 

Seventh  regiment,  thanks  to,  143. 

Silliman,  Professor,  1  :tures  by,  120,  134. 

Simpson,  Bishop,  lecture  by,  156. 

Sinking  fund  proposed,  173. 

Slote,  H.  L.,  proposed  change  of  location,  183; 
inaugural  address  of,  367. 

Small,  Wilson,  inaugural  address  of,  350. 

Smith,  Havilah  M.,  inaugural  address  of,  363. 

Southgate,  Rev.  Dr.,  lectures  by,  139,  141. 

Spring,  Rev.  Dr.,  lecture  by,  93. 

Starr,  A.  A.,  lecture  by,  197. 

Starr,  Charles,  thanks  voted  to,  69. 

Stetson,  Mr.,  teacher  of  drawing,  136. 

Stevens,  Edward  D.,  scholar  in  Columbia  Col- 
lege, 99. 

Stone,  corner,  of  first  Mechanics'  Hall,  42. 
Storrs,  R.  S.,  lecture  by,  156. 


420 


LIST     OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Stryker,  Peter,  lecture  by,  181. 
Subscribers  to  High  School  stock,  83. 

Tablet  of  the  old  hall,  168. 
Talmadge,  F.  A.,  donation  of,  109. 
Taylor,  Bayard,  lectures  by,  139,  196. 
Thompson,  Dr.  John,  lecture  by,  136. 
Thompson,  John  R.,  lecture  by,  139,  165. 
Thompson,  Rev.  R.  H.,  lecture  by,  165. 
Torrey,  Prof.  John,  lectures  by,  95. 
Trickey,  John,  scholar  in  Columbia  College, 
120. 

University  of  New- York,  loan  to,  86. 

Vandenhoff,  George,  lectures  by,  167,  172. 
Vandenhoff,  Mrs.  George,  reading  by,  172. 
Van  Norden,  William,  death  of,  174. 
Vinton,  Alexander,  lecture  by,  124. 
Vinton,  Francis,  prayer  of,  143. 


Volunteer  engineer  regiment,  140,  289. 
Voorhis,  John  R.,  inaugural  address  of,  370. 

Warnock,  F.  H.,  lectures  by,  181,  184. 
Washington,  George,  death  of,  351. 
Washington  Monument  Association,  109. 
Waydell,  John  H.,  presentation  of  model,  168. 
Whipple,  Edwin  P.,  lecture  by,  120. 
Wight,  John,  inaugural  address  of,  339. 
Willets,  A.  A.,  lectures  by,  134,  135,  136,  139, 

141,  144,  149,  156. 
Williams,  Frederick  W.,  death  of,  178. 
Williams,  S.  Wells,  lecture  by,  109. 
Winthrop,  Benjamin  R.,  donation  of,  129. 
Wood,  William,  his  donation,  105  ;  death  of, 

130;  memorial  of,  279. 
World's  Fair  in  London,  delegates  to,  1 18. 
Worrall,  Wade  B.,  inaugural  address  of,  348. 

Youmans,  Prof.  L.,  lectures  by,  167,  181. 


LIST   OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Certificate  of  Membership  adopted  in  1786  facing  title. 

Certificate  of  Membership  subsequently  used  Appendix. 

Society's  Building,  cor.  Park  Place  and  Broadway   37 

Tablet  put  up,  1802   42 

First  Seal  of  the  Society   62 

School  Building  of  Society,  from  1821  to  1858   63 

Society's  Building,  30-36  Crosby  street   80 

Society's  Building,  472  Broadway   101 

Society's  new  Building,  cor.  Broadway  and  Park  Place   131 

Society's  new  Building,  18  East  1 6th  street   169 

Interior  of  Library  in  18  East  16th  street   192 


